Broken Royalty
by Milquetoast95
Summary: Seishun Gakuen, Hyotei Gakuen, & Rikkai Daigaku Fuzoku: with all 3 teams aiming to become National Champions there's a big chance that a push from a small girl may break everyone's backs! *Seigaku has a wild time adjusting to a certain Echizen, Hyotei has difficulty dealing with an obstinate chick & Rikkaidai is struggling to save their captain & his best friend!* FirstFic/Romance?
1. 00P: The Chaperone of St Rudolph

**A/N: Hello! To anyone reading out there, I'm a fairly new writer, and I made my account last year. Except, I'd never really gotten around to actually _publishing_ any of this story because, well, I was too scared. But now I'm positive that if I want to grow as a writer, I've gotta face the fact that there are always some haters out there. Well, this story has become my own personal monster of a thing, and there are multiple OC's. Please give any criticisms you feel are necessary, and I'll take it. Thanks!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis, its characters, nor its plot. I only own what I've made up in my tiny little mind. :)**

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><p>Kamiko was absolutely certain that she would kill Mizuki herself.<p>

"I don't trust him." She stubbornly said, "Not one bit, niichan."

Fuji Yuuta rolled his eyes as they walked away from their win in the tournament. He had won his match surprisingly easily. He barely glanced down at her, and because of her shorter stature he only saw her dark-green black hair as they continued on to the last match of the day. Without Kamiko's help, Yuuta knew he never would have been able to be as good of a tennis player as he was now. Albeit it being against lefties (Kamiko herself was a lefty), he still managed to beat some pretty strong opponents.

"He's done nothing but help. Let him be."

Kamiko frowned as she walked beside the team, and while she happily spoke to Yanagisawa Shinya she noticed a sudden stop in her best friend.

"Yuuta-nii?" She asked as she looked around, her copper-gold eyes searched around the tournament area. Kamiko and the rest of St. Rudolph found Yuuta staring at the backs of white and blue jerseys.

"That's Seigaku?" The vice-captain asked.

"Yuuta-nii doesn't look very well." Kamiko observed.

The vice-captain nodded back and waved over Mizuki Hajime and Yanagisawa, "Look at him."

"Oi, Yuuta-kun, what's with the scary face?" Mizuki didn't hesitate to ask as he approached.

Kamiko followed soon after and latched onto Yuuta's arm, "Nii-chan?"

"I came here all this way to beat that guy." He said sternly, he was practically glaring holes at the back of a certain jersey.

"And you will. I'm going through possibilities of what their line-up will be."

"Please do." Yuuta replied to Mizuki, something to which Kamiko frowned as Mizuki spoke again.

"By the time we go against them, it will be impossible for Seigaku to beat us."

"Seigaku...?" Kamiko's head tilt, till she found a figure shorter than all of them, clad in a white and blue jersey, '_Ah~! That's why they're so familiar! Why is Yuuta-nii interested in them?_'

"Come on, dane! We need to get to our match, dane!" Yanagisawa yelled, pulling Kamiko away from Yuuta, and effectively jerking both second years out of their thoughts.

Yuuta realized the way Yanagisawa was holding her, "Oi! Behave yourself!"

"Me, dane? I wouldn't do anything!"

Kamiko grasped both their arms and walked with the two boys on each side of her, "You'll all do great today!"

But Kamiko found the atmosphere tense as she accompanied Yuuta to the vending machines. He'd been mad about the lineup changes, he had been so sure that he would finally play against his brother, and when that hadn't happened Kamiko accompanied him on a trip to get a drink. When she'd turned around there was a boy, in a Seigaku, standing a few feet away from them, staring at Yuuta.

"Yuuta-nii." She whispered, tugging at Yuuta's sleeve.

The boy turned around, "What is it?"

"Someone's looking at you."

Yuuta looked around. Kamiko rarely ever was wary of strangers, hell, there were too many times Yuuta had to stop her from _talking_ to strangers. But he understood immediately as soon as his eyes landed on the boy in front of them.

Yuuta glared.

"Let's go." He told Kamiko gruffly, and he began walking towards the stranger that Kamiko was wary of.

"You look good." The boy said, his calm demeanor made Kamiko blink at the two.

Who was this?

Yuuta continued to glare, and after a long pause he replied, "You may have avoided me this time, but I'll beat you soon."

Kamiko frowned. Yuuta was serious, yes, but his anger was insurmountable as of now. She observed the exchange between the two carefully from behind Yuuta.

"My teammate you're going against is no joke. You should be careful."

"Ha," Yuuta scoffed, "I'll crush that first year with all I have! And when I do, your next!"

Yuuta was ready to shake his fist, or step forward, or do something towards the boy, and Kamiko pulled on Yuuta's sleeve.

"Niichan!" She pleaded as she grasped his arm, "Let's go!"

Yuuta scoffed, but slowly backed away. He jerked his arm from Kamiko and started walking away from the boy, it was only when Kamiko hadn't followed that Yuuta stopped walking.

She was hesitant, at first, but when she looked up at the boy she immediately looked back down and bowed.

"Please forgive Yuuta-nii! He's very competitive... Eto... Goodbye!" Kamiko then ran up to Yuuta's side, and lightly punched him in the arm, "Your manners are getting worse by the day!"

He rolled his eyes, and when they were out of earshot, he whispered.

"That's the guy I'm gonna beat one day. One day soon."

Kamiko hadn't heard, and smiled as she saw the tennis courts coming into view, "Don't worry, niichan, this'll be a good match! And hopefully everything will go great!"

It was soon evident to Kamiko that everything going great was not a part of the plan. And she hated Mizuki all the more after the end of the Doubles 1 game.

"Mizu-chan," She said to him. She greeted everyone with the -chan honorific, it was a small quirk that St. Rudolph had needed to adjust too, "Your plan sucks."

"We'll see about that. That first miscalculation about that snake boy was a fluke." Mizuki replied without worry.

"So long as you stay away from-"

"Kamiko, shut up, will you?" Yuuta pulled her back and covered her mouth so she wouldn't finish her sentence, and when she stopped struggling Yuuta put his hand down.

"But Ryo-chan is-" She looked around suddenly, and found Yuuta walking away from her towards the court, "Yuuta-nii~!"

"Stop calling me that!"

"I will when you promise not to use it!"

Her small outburst was heard by Seigaku, and Momoshiro Takeshi poked Echizen Ryoma for answers.

"Oi, you know her, Echizen?"

Ryoma looked away from Kamiko and back at the match at hand.

"The real question is why she's calling Fuji-senpai's brother her brother."

His redirect worked, and Momo curiously tried finding explanations with the freshmen while an oblivious St. Rudolph didn't even bother to try hearing the other team's conversation.

"Use what, _that_? I'm fine. And as far as I'm concerned you've got nothing productive to say about it." Yuuta asked.

Kamiko reached up to poke Yuuta's cheek and placed her hands on her hips, looking up at him doubtfully, "Ne, ne, did Mizu-chan take away your brain? Because you sound just like him after I beat you."

Kamiko was surprised that Yuuta hadn't even managed to figure it out, or rather, he didn't care what the consequence was so long as it helped beat his brother. His brother...

'_So Yuuta-nii's own niichan is... Oh!_' Kamiko curiously looked across the courts at the figures clad in white and blue, and found herself wondering where the resemblance was. It was then that she started piecing together everything.

Why Yuuta was so determined to be better than his brother, why he learned so much and trained so much, and even why he moved schools. Kamiko was curious as to how one could always have that content smile on his face, and why his younger brother was so angry. That face that she'd just bowed to in apology, actually...

"Niichan!" She exclaimed in a silent whisper, "I didn't know that your brother attended Seigaku!'

"You should know- you're _transferring_ there." Yuuta muttered, "And stop callin' me niichan." Yuuta had noticed long before of the stares the two of them were receiving because of her insisted nickname.

Kamiko giggled, "You're just bitter that I'm leaving St. Rudolph!"

"Aw, but otouto and I will miss you. You were fun to play with, dane!" Even Yanagisawa loved to tease Yuuta with fake family honorifics.

He pet Kamiko's head, and she shrugged herself away from the two with a pout, "I'm not a dog!"

"Stop talking about that fluke of a match, then!" Yuuta insisted.

Kamiko grinned happily as she saw a certain look in Yuuta's eyes, it wasn't anger. No matter how hard Yuuta tried he could never be angry at Kamiko, but he was irked at how she had to announce to everyone that he'd lost in a match against her.

After the initial shock of the Golden Pair having lost, spectators and teammates alike looked at the other pair in question, and Yanagisawa wrapped an arm around Kamiko's shoulder and pointed at her.

"This is the reason why Yuuta-kun became the lefty-killer, dane! He's trying to beat the first lefty to beat him, dane!"

The girl was wide eyed at the amount of attention directed around her, and Yuuta suddenly noticed something a bit off.

"**_Oi!_**" He yelled at Yanagisawa, "What did I just say about touching her?!"

"Ah! I didn't notice, dane! Sorry, Yuuta-kun, I'll lay off now."

"You have your own match to attend, Kamiko. You should go." Yuuta warily took his eyes off of his retreating teammate and looked at Kamiko.

Kamiko frowned at what Yuuta had told her, and rolled her eyes.

"Forever the serious one, dane." Yanagisawa shook his head.

Kamiko agreed, "Mhm." She pulled at Yuuta's left sleeve gently, looking up at him with a seriousness that Yuuta knew was unbecoming of her, "Please don't use that."

"Kamiko."

She pulled at his sleeve harder this time, "Please? Promise me you won't unless it's absolutely necessary... Even that might be-"

"Fine."

Kamiko looked grateful, and happily nodded. She rounded the corner as Yuuta headed to the court, and soon realized she was right behind the gates that were nearest Ryoma's back. She yelled over to her fellow Echizen.

"Ryo-chan!" She called, the capped boy looked at her in irritation. Anything getting in the way of him playing was irritating.

"Who's _that_?" Tomoka Osakada asked jealously.

Kamiko heard Yuuta's angry protest.

"Don't you dare!" He yelled at her.

Kamiko grinned, happily ignoring Yuuta, "Be careful, Ryo-chan. Yuuta-nii won't listen to me, but you'll see it! _Don't let him get hurt._" That last part sounded oddly sweet, yet threatening enough for Ryoma to step back, albeit in his off-handed way.

"Uhn." Ryoma casually grunted, that lone response caused Kamiko to smile happily and run away.

"Her attitude is beginning to convince even me that we might be related." Yuuta muttered under his breath.

Ryoma looked at his new opponent with an agreeing gleam, "Your chaperone didn't tell me to go easy on you. Don't expect a break."

"Why you-"

"You're Fuji's younger brother, ne?" Ryoma asked with a cocky smirk.

Both teams were appalled at Ryoma's question. After all, they'd all seen Yuuta's anger at having that question even thought about.

"I wonder which one of you two is better. This'll be fun."

The two boys readied their stances, and were both determined to win.


	2. 01: Deja Vu & the Probability of Trouble

**A/N: Thank you to all who are reading this! And thank you especially to those who have fav/followed it! I truly appreciate you for sticking with me!**

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><p>"Uh-oh..." Kamiko whispered to herself as she looked at the new building.<p>

'_Maybe Yuuta-nii was right. I should have gone to the school earlier to get familiar with my surroundings._'

"Ittai!" Kamiko fell on her butt after she'd bumped into a taller figure, and an odd sense of de'ja vu overcame her as she looked up from where she'd fallen.

**Flashback.**

"Ittai!"

Kamiko fell on her butt almost instantly, and looked up at the shadow that hovered over her in indifferent concern.

"Gomen'nasai!" She apologized as she saw the brown haired boy, the small scar shaped like an X on his right temple intrigued her, but she paid no mind to it as she realized she was late to class.

"Ah! Do you know where Class 2-1 is?"

He rolled his eyes as he predicted what would eventually unfold. A year's worth of chaos, that's what.

"Follow me," He sighed, "That's my class."

"Ah~! Arigato, niichan!"

The look of shock on his face made Kamiko giggle.

"_Niichan_?"

"I don't know your name! And since you're so nice to me, I want to be nice to you!"

"Fuji Yuuta. Just call me Yuuta." He muttered.

"Aa," Kamiko lowered her voice as Yuuta opened the door for her to, what was now, their classroom, "Well, arigato, Yuuta-niichan!"

**End Flashback.**

And that event practically mimicked what had happened here.

"Who're you calling niichan?"

"I'm calling _you_ niichan... _niichan_." Kamiko giggled at the dark haired boy, "Because I don't know your name."

The boy's hiss of a sigh reminded her oddly of a snake.

"My name is Kaidoh Kaoru." And, with a hesitant hiss, he politely added, "What's yours?"

"Kamiko! Thanks, Kaidoh-nii, for asking!" Kamiko exclaimed as she stopped in front of the door.

'_She doesn't give out her full name? Wait a minute does she call every boy she meets her brother?_' Kaidoh thought, after all, it was unheard of to not give your surname, and even more unheard of to have such a friendly disposition. He slid the door open to Kamiko's classroom for her.

"Oi, Mamushi, did you get lost? Getting lost isn't a good sign. Not a good sign at all."

So Kamiko wasn't the only one to notice the similarities between a snaky boy and, well, a _snake_. But she knew well enough that if teacher and class wasn't present then an argument surely would've exploded in front of her.

"Arigato, Mamu-nii!" Kamiko said again, this time with a different nickname.

The new nickname caused Kaidoh to clench his fists, but he kept his cool and left the room, sliding the door shut behind him.

'_This girl is crazy... But she sure does look a lot like... Is it possible?_'

"You're the new student, then?" The sensei asked.

Kamiko was slightly entranced by his big frame glasses, but shook the thoughts out of her head immediately before grinning widely, "Yes, sensei! Please excuse me for the interruption. I got lost..."

"Well then," He sighed, pushing his big glasses that made his eyes look buggy, "Maybe tomorrow you can introduce yourself properly, since we're a little behind already and we don't want any extra homework. Find an empty seat and borrow notes from someone."

"Yes, sir!" Kamiko sat in the only empty seat left; one that people pitied her for.

Because, well, who would voluntarily sit next to the number one trickster of Seigaku?

Momoshiro Takeshi already had a plan up his sleeve for any newcomers, but decided against it. There was a familiarity in her eyes, and even in her hair, that Momo couldn't ignore. And her little scene at their match with St. Rudolph was something that he felt he should look into. Her hair was the same dark black-green hair, though hers rested down at the taper of her waist, but the eyes- though a lighter shade of brown than who he was thinking of- had the same determination and gold glint, the same amount of edge that made it so obvious.

"Weren't you originally with St. Rudolph?" Momo asked during their break while the teachers switched subjects.

The girl turned to him in a friendly manner, not minding her face-framing bangs as they swung to and fro, and Momo found himself a bit wrong. She did have the eyes, but they were more feminine- bigger, and far more animated than the eyes Momo was thinking of.

"Yea! St. Rudolph wasn't for me, so I decided to come here!"

He nodded, "So... where ya from?"

"America! So~, who are you?" She asked, teasingly mimicking Momo's speech.

"Momoshiro Takeshi, but call me Momo-chan." He grinned. He placed both hands behind his head and leaned back against his chair comfortably.

"Momo-nii... Hmm, I like the ring of it!"

The comment startled Momo so much that he fell from his chair with a loud crash.

"Hehe... Niichan, eh? I'll let it slide this time."

She nodded, "Arigato, niichan!"

"I never thought that we'd get two transfers from America in the same year." Momo pondered with an over-exaggerated tone. He noted that she used her left hand to finish the notes that they'd been writing down.

'_She's a _**_lefty_**_..._' Momo smirked. Their conversation had left many interested people bored, and all of them had finally turned away to find something more entertaining. He decided that now was the time to drop his little piece of knowledge.

"Well, anyway, Kyu Echizen, it's nice to have you in my class."

The teacher announced the start of a new class, but she looked up from her notes and narrowed her golden brown eyes suspiciously at the boy who grinned so big.

"I'm Momo," He explained, "Seigaku's Number One Trickster."

That seemed to be all the explanation that he needed.

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><p>"I got lost again!" Kamiko berated herself during lunch; she had unknowingly stepped into a club meeting.<p>

'_And I got into a fight._' She added silently.

Momo laughed, "What'd you walk into this time?"

"I think a girl's sports meeting... Mamu-nii said it was tennis season, so maybe it's the tennis team!"

"Mamu-_nii_?!" Momo sputtered out his drink, "What?!"

The alarmed look on his face made Kamiko giggle, and she pat the top of his head, "You're the one who called him Mamushi in the first place."

"I didn't think he was your **_brother_**!" He shrugged her off and continued to stare at her in shock.

"He's not..."

She repeated her small giggle as soon as Momo repeated the alarmed, and more confused, look on his face.

She held up two fingers like a peace sign and outstretched her hand, "I like to call the two people who befriend me first my two siblings. To me it means that they're the nicest! That's you and Mamu-nii!" She ended with a wink.

Momo processed this information quietly, and noted that his first impression of her was indeed correct- she was a happy-go-lucky teen with a way about life that made her always grin. So polar opposites in the family _could_ happen.

'_I wonder how far off they are from relation to be so different._' Momo pondered as Kamiko happily chatted away about how nice the campus was with the blossoming flowers, '_What if they were siblings?! Definitely not twins, since Echizen- er, _**_Ryoma_**_- is younger. Long lost siblings? Cousins?_'

Kamiko generously handed a portion of her lunch to Momo, and Momo thanked her and buried his head in his food as to hide the rising blush on his cheeks. He'd almost been caught staring at her!

'_Cousins, then. Second cousins. Twice removed. And she's from the planet Mars._' Momo didn't mind to end his conversation himself as he noticed how delicious his lunch was. A small 'Hmph' ended the one sided conversation between both second years.

"Ko-Konjiki-senpai!" Momo exclaimed.

The whole class had quieted down. It wasn't often for third years to come down to the second years' room, and it was unheard of for one to be requesting the presence for one. Especially when it was Konjiki Hana. She dominated the courts of the girls' tennis team as captain after recovering from an injury. Her whole arm had been fractured due to a horrible tennis incident in her first year. She had kept her black hair at chin-length after that, infamously cutting off more than a foot of hair in her first year of middle school. She even had a scar right above her left eye that was a faded pink but always stood out because of how it contrasted with her dark brown eyes.

"You." She was amused as she looked at Kamiko.

Kamiko almost jumped back; she curiously looked at her senpai, "Yes?"

"Hmph... you don't... Remember me?"

"Remember you..."

Momo deadpanned, '_Has she got the memory of an Echizen?_'

"Oh!" Kamiko delightedly laughed at herself, "I'm sorry! I'm sorry for interrupting your meeting, Kon-chan!"

'_Thank God she doesn't._' Momo breathed out a sigh of relief.

Konjiki, on the other hand, felt a little bit more confused, "Hmph, are you the same girl that fought with my vice captain?"

"Mhm! She was wrong!" Kamiko nodded with a polite smile.

"Hmph..." Konjiki eyed Kamiko, and noticed Kamiko's hands, "Come with me."

"Sure, Kon-chan! Where are we going?"

"O-oi! Chotto matte!" Momo fell over in his seat as Kamiko and Konjiki strode out of the classroom.

Kamiko followed Konjiki down the hall, towards the third year classrooms. They'd entered the classroom with 3-11 posted above it, and found classmates surrounding a desk.

"-it's not my fault if she's pulled out of the tennis team for not having her gear. She just has to learn to be more responsible."

Konjiki pushed Kamiko towards the front of the group, and Kamiko stared at the brunette in front of her. The brunette sat in her chair, and seemed to love the attention that everyone was giving her, she glared at Kamiko.

"More responsible? But, Sakura, she's just a first year!" A classmate of hers exclaimed.

Sakura didn't remove her eyes from Kamiko, "Ryuzaki Sakuno doesn't deserve special attention because her grandma is the tennis coach of the boys team, Sakuno said it herself."

"Hmph... what's going on, Inui-kun?" Konjiki asked her fellow classmate.

A tall boy with glasses looked down to, or rather at, Hana.

"It seems that Sakura doesn't quite like the idea of Ryuzaki-sensei's granddaughter on the tennis team."

"That's a bit rude..." Kamiko whispered, she didn't seem at all fazed by Sakura's glares.

Inui Sadaharu noted the second year immediately, and Hana laughed at the comment the girl made.

"Oh, Inui-kun, this is the girl who got Sakura in a bad mood. Her name is-"

"I'm Kamiko!" Kamiko said then, breaking the staring contest and looking up at Inui, "It's a-"

"**_YOU._**" Sakura's anger flared when Kamiko turned her back to the third year girl.

The whole class directed their attention at the two girls, and steered clear of the areas between them. Konjiki laughed darkly.

"Hmph, Sakura, don't be mean; she's new."

"Then she should've known her place by not talking back to her senpai!" Sakura argued. She pointed at Kamiko, "Oi, do you have an apology or what?"

Kamiko's expression changed from unwitting second year, to competitive; and Inui knew he was familiar with that competitive glint in Kamiko's eyes. But how?

"It's not an apology _exactly_," Kamiko started, "It's more like a challenge."

"Challenge?" Sakura asked, eyes narrowing.

"Interesting..." Inui muttered to himself.

"It's obvious you play tennis. But can you play the sport well, senpai?" Kamiko's friendly smile turned a bit mischievous, "So? What do you say?"

"Since I'm in a good mood about that first year getting kicked out, I'll let you choose the time and place."

"Why not today after school? I think it'd sure be fun to play when you're not tired out!"

"Why you..." Sakura stood up and stomped forward, and Konjiki had to step in to stop Sakura from closing the distance between her and the second year.

"One set, but not a whole match." She agreed for Sakura.

Inui was quickly figuring out the familiarity between Kamiko and a certain tennis rookie, but wasn't given enough time as Kamiko was already skipping out of the room.

'_Skipping?_' Inui thought to himself, '_Hmm... an interesting variable to the data._'

Konjiki rolled her eyes, "I wonder if she'll cause any trouble."

"My data tells me that it's highly possible." Inui informed, '**_Especially_**_ if she's related to him._'

The third years were left to themselves, unaware that Kamiko spent the rest of the day searching for this Ryuzaki Sakuno that she knew nothing about. Kamiko found her near the boy's tennis court after school.

"Come on, Sakuno-chan, maybe Ryoma-sama is near the other court!" A loud brunette with short pigtails pulled Sakuno away from Kamiko.

Kamiko was sure to stop them, "Ah~! You're Ryuzaki Sakuno?" Kamiko asked abruptly as she appeared before them.

The shy girl nodded, and Kamiko's smile widened as she tried to be friendly.

"Great, Saku-chan! I have a present for you."

Sakuno would've fallen over merely because of this stranger's friendliness, but remained standing. Even with the enormous weight in the tennis bag that Kamiko threw to her. Osakada Tomoka was confused.

"Who're you?" Sakuno's loud friend asked, "What is this stuff?"

"Sakura-senpai said that you would get kicked off for not having the proper gear. I gave this to you so you can surprise her!"

Kamiko suddenly took both the first year girls and dragged them away, looking around hap-hazardly as she did so, "Which way to the tennis courts? You guys will love this game we're gonna have!"

Half an hour later, the boy regulars stepped onto the court, and Inui was just finishing up his data when the team members were whispering about the Sakuno incident. After that confrontation between Sakura and Kamiko, the third years had told the other classes, and most of the school was already looking for the new challenger. Sakura wasn't the vice captain of the girl's team for nothing, her talent, though hidden most of the time, called for her to win all but three matches in her whole middle school career.

"It seems Kamiko is bringing more chaos than her relative counterpart." Inui muttered as he wrote in his notebook. A couple of non-regulars had run past them talking about Sakura.

"You noticed the similarities as well, Inui-senpai?" Momo grinned, "It's noticeable, right?"

Inui nodded, and just then they heard the captain say those fateful words of punishment, "10 laps, Kaidoh. Next time don't be late."

"Hai, buchou!"

"Mamushi's late?" Momo teased, "I thought you were supposed to be committed to tennis."

"Fshhh..." He ignored Momo and looked towards Inui, "The score is 30-Love."

"Score? Who's playing today guys?" Kikumaru Eiji asked intrusively.

Fuji Syusuke chuckled, "I think they mean the match with the girl's vice captain. Sakura-san is going against a new student, isn't she?"

Inui nodded, and saw as Ryoma went for another Ponta; he quickly jot down some notes.

"Echizen is going for water breaks 23.3% more times than usual. The probability that it has something to do with the match is higher than 90%."

"Huh? Oishi! Why is Inui speaking so cryptically?"

Oishi Shuichiro couldn't answer Kikumaru's questions, and turned to Inui himself.

"What's going on?" The vice captain asked.

Momo smirked, "Echizen probably has a relative who's going against Sakura-senpai right now."

"Relative?" Kawamura was just as surprised as everyone else.

"The probability that they are siblings is as high as 85%. The probability that she is a cousin is 14%, the percentages left is for some other type of relation."

"We can't tell anything from that data other than that they're related," Fuji smiled, "After all, it seems that the Echizen clan has a way of beating the odds."


	3. 02: Kyu Echizen, the Athlete Tensai

**A/N: First, I'd like to thank people for the views and also for the favorites and follows :) It means a lot to me that people are reading this ****_and_**** sticking with it!**

**Second of all, how're everyone's opinions (after this second chapter?)? Is it too slow, ya think? Or too fast? I have a lot planned for this but I feel as if I might have written it in such a way that people would be confused! **

**Third, I'm not entirely sure when I can/when/will update, but I'll try my best to keep on going! And lastly, I am NOT a tennis player. :( So if any information on tennis is wrong or if I'm saying something that just sounds so off (as off as it can get in the PoT world!), please forgive me! And tell me, please, I really would love to fix it!**

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><p>Sakura gasped for breath; her arms felt like lead weights and her legs were in no better shape. But what affected Sakura the most were her emotions. It was the shock of having lost so badly, 6 games to love, and the exhaustion just seemed to add to that. She fell on her knees, and found a racquet being handed to her. Kamiko smiled, realizing that Sakura wasn't going to take it, and handed the racquet to Hana.<p>

"Sumimasenga," She laughed in embarrassment, "Maybe tennis isn't my sport!"

"It's over already?!" Momo exclaimed. He, Kaidoh and Inui had brought along the others to explain what they'd seen, but they hadn't expected the match to have ended within the first fifteen minutes. After all, they'd snuck out of practice just as Tezuka was speaking to Ryuzaki-sensei for this!

"Ryoma-kun? Momo-chan-senpai? Senpai-tachi! What are you doing here?"

Sakuno ran up to them in her, what seemed to be, new tennis gear; it was clear that she wasn't the only girl surprised at their appearance.

"What happened? Who won?" Kikumaru asked, he was excited. He was excited, but he wasn't really sure why.

No one was.

"K-Kamiko-san won the first set, and Sakura-senpai refused to stop there. The score is 6 games to love..."

"Hmph," Hana crossed her arms as Kamiko began walking away, "Wait a minute, what do you mean tennis _isn't_ your sport?"

Kamiko looked up at her senpai, and shrugged.

"I love tennis, but I also love keeping promises," Kamiko explained, it was then that she looked over to where Momo stood. She looked just beside him, at Ryoma, "I promised not to play because of someone who's precious to me."

She broke away from Ryoma's irritated stare and grinned back at Hana, "This was just to help keep Saku-chan's place on the tennis team!"

Kamiko winked at Sakuno, who in turn was in too much shock to stutter a small 'thank you.' But Kamiko could tell by the girl's red face and big, thankful eyes.

'_Kamiko often brings trouble._' Inui wrote in his notebook.

But everyone had already predicted that piece of data.

Over the course of the next week, it was noticed that all the captains of any team was in lesser spirits. Kikumaru noted that aloud when he passed by the captain of even the curling team.

"Oi, Fujiko, is it me or is everyone else a little bit down, nya?" Kikumaru asked as they ventured through the cafeteria.

Fuji chuckled at his redhead companion, "I think it has something to do with a certain _Kyu Echizen_."

Everyone had taken to calling Kamiko the 'older' Echizen, but lately, once all that had passed within the first day or two, people had begun to call her a tensai. She was, in a way, the perfect athlete, and proved it by beating each and every top player at their own game, by their own rules.

"Everyone's beginning to hate me..." Momo ducked away quickly into the clubhouse that afternoon, and sighed, "Just because Kyu Echizen hasn't come to the tennis club at all this week."

"Maybe she will soon," Fuji smiled sympathetically, and pat his kouhai on the shoulder, "I believe Echizen is talking to her right now."

"How are they related, anyway? Cause Kyu Echizen sure hasn't told me anything." Momo asked.

Kaidoh passed by him to get to his cubby with an irritated hiss, "They're cousins, you moron."

"What was that, Mamushi?! How the hell would you know?"

"Because unlike an _idiot_, I have the decency to talk to people about normal things other than food, you fatass!"

"Are you _trying_ to pick a fight?!"

"_Bring it!_"

"You stupid snake I'll-"

"Guys, guys, break it up!" Oishi stepped in between the two second years, and soon the whole team was staring at them.

"It seems that Ryoma is finally confronting her." Kawamura stated simply when he looked out the clubhouse.

Momo and Kikumaru jumped towards the window, and saw Ryoma poke Kamiko's side with his racquet.

"Ne, are you gonna pick a sport soon?"

Kamiko pet Ryoma's head in return, and laughed, "Sure I will! Once I find something, I think I might later tonight, so don't expect me home!"

"Heh, tonight? That's a relief, I was about to say that you could play tennis if you really wanted."

"Eh? Really?! That'd be great!" She exclaimed, she grabbed the boy by his neck and pulled him close laughing as Ryoma struggled, "Going against one of your senpai... That'd be a good match, I think!"

"L-" Ryoma dropped his tennis bag to use both hands, "Let's go!"

Kamiko giggled and complied with Ryoma's order, and in return Ryoma pulled his cap lower while walking away.

"You'll probably lose."

Kamiko's head tilt in confusion as she watched her cousin disappear into the clubhouse. She ended up smiling to herself, "We'll see~."

In the end, Kamiko wasted no time in accepting such a challenge, and she proved it by convincing Momo to beg with her. Momo complied, but hadn't realized that they would be begging to Ryuzaki-sensei and Tezuka.

"It'll be a harmless match," Kamiko explained, "And I can even teach niichan a few tricks! Besides, no one else is here yet!"

Momo smirked, "We'll finish it quick too, it's not like I'll lose."

"Momo-nii~!"

Momo laughed at Kamiko, and dodged her elbow that she'd aimed at his ribs.

"Yudan sezu ni ikou, Momoshiro."

Momo grinned like a child being given a chance at free candy, "Is that a yes, buchou?"

Tezuka looked over to his sensei. Ryuzaki smiled at both students, and she nodded.

"Yoshi!" Momo yelled, "Let's go, Kami-chan. It's time to see if you really live up to the Echizen name!"

They grabbed the first court that they could, and Kamiko stood in front of her 'niichan.'

"Seeing you at the other end of the court is weird, Momo-nii!" She waved from the other side.

Momo chuckled, "You'll get used to it, Kami-chan!"

She nodded, and prepared for Momo's serve. Momo shook his head, "What kind of guy would I be if I didn't let you serve first? That wouldn't be right, I tell you. Not right at all."

He chucked a ball towards Kamiko, and Kamiko caught it with ease.

"Ah~! You're such a gentleman, Momo-nii!" She grinned, and threw the ball up with ease, "Please don't go easy on me!"

"Don't worry, I-" Momo's jacket flared up, and he felt the ball that he'd just thrown to Kamiko fall at his feet with a light bounce.

Slowly, the ball rolled and rested just a few inches away from him. The ball she'd served had hit Momo's jacket with precision, hitting the pocket from the inside of the jacket, and then falling over.

'_I can't catch a break with this famly, can I?_' He asked himself with a rueful smile, "Nice serve, Kyu Echizen."

When all the regulars arrived they walked in to see each non-regular staring at Court A with confusion and awe. Kamiko swung her racquet around up to her right shoulder as she spoke to Momo. He sat on the bench, sweating and panting for air.

"Ya know, Momo-nii, I think that with a little modifications you could accomplish a great deal," Kamiko informed, "Eto... Maybe next time!"

"Next time, Kami-chan, I'll get you." Momo nodded with a huge grin.

He shakily stood up, and walked past the gate door, shoving a clean towel into Kaidoh's hands.

"What's this?" Kaidoh hissed.

Momo smirked, "It's a towel, Mamushi. Honestly, use your head. You're gonna need it after a match with Kyu Echizen."

"Match...?"

"Mamu-nii!" Kamiko jumped up happily and waved her racquet around, her arms flailing about wildly. "It's your turn, Mamu-nii, it's your turn!"

"But I-"

"Go, Kaidoh."

Kaidoh was shocked at the order that Tezuka had given him, "H-hai." But he stepped onto the court with more confidence as he got over the initial shock.

"Tezuka! Isn't it a little bit hasty having Kyu Echizen-san play two matches in a row?" Oishi asked worriedly. He observed that someone of a much shorter stature, a girl, probably wouldn't be able to take anymore. After all, none of the girl's in the school could even stand after a match with him and Kikumaru. "Especially against Kaidoh's stamina after Momo's power. She'll be overwhelmed!"

Tezuka disagreed with his vice captain, crossing his arms as he stared out towards the court. This was Kamiko's test. and she knew it as she smiled happily at the Seigaku captain. Kamiko's rallies with Kaidoh were short, ending with Kaidoh losing a point whenever he used his special Snake shot.

"If everything goes well today, Echizen-san will be helping us train for the upcoming matches in our tournament."

Kawamura was surprised, "Helping?"

"40-Love. Match point! Kamiko to serve!" The team member on the referee stand announced.

Kamiko bounced the ball up and down, and paused in between the third bounce to look up at Kaidoh.

"Mamu-nii," She said, "I know you use your Snake often, but keep your wrist firm as you pull up to create the spin!" She threw the ball up to serve, and backed away instantly, catching it in her hand, "Oh! And remember to follow through on your swing! It'll get to the opponent's court faster and it'll be harder to return!"

Momo chuckled as Kaidoh nodded with hesitance. Kaidoh had never faced such a friendly opponent before, "It's gonna be like that the whole game, with her giving pointers to improve and then-"

"40-15!"

"Alright, Mamu-nii!" Kamiko grinned wide.

"Fshhu...?"

"-she makes you wonder if you're playing a real game with her." Momo finished.

"Soka, so she's a sports trainer, Echizen?" Fuji asked his short kouhai.

Ryoma tipped his hat down and shrugged, "Not a great one, but she's decent."

"She's thorough," Tezuka begged to differ, "That's enough for the team as of now."

Kaidoh ended up losing his match 6-0, but he did last a few minutes longer than Momo.

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><p><strong>Disclaimer: I do not own any charactersplot/etc., of the PoT manga/anime.**


	4. 03: '-chan,' the Nickname Honorific

**I hope there are still people reading this, it's been a long while since I've been on this site. I'm really sorry! Well... this is a horrible first impression, but my attitude towards updating will improve! I promise!**

**P.S.:This is a shorter chapter than the others, mostly because a new part of the story will be introducing itself soon. ^.^**

**Please enjoy, and ****thanks for reading!**

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><p>Time seemed to pass quickly in Seishun Gakuen. Practice was almost over by the time Kamiko had tested out Inui's skill. The data man had gone in expecting a style similar to the younger Echizen's, and was blindsided when Ryoma muttered that Kamiko played better with her right hand than her left.<p>

"It'll be a pleasure working alongside you." Inui panted. He was quick to make a mental note of the details and the score: 40-30, 40-15, 40-0, 40-30, 40-0, 40-0. Kamiko was right handed, and her tennis style was in no way similar to Ryoma's blow-out, come-back, dramatic tennis.

Kamiko smiled back whilst wiping the sweat off her face with a towel, "Let's do our best, Inu-chan!"

'_Inu?_' Inui stepped back in shock. Kamiko realized her mistake as well, and laughed.

"Oops! Gomen, gomen, I shouldn't be calling you that, senpai." Inui recovered and nodded. Kamiko seemed a bit too over-friendly for- "I'll just call you Sada-chan!"

Kikumaru and Momo laughed heartily at the perpetual shock on Inui's face. Kamiko took no notice of it as she waved at Tezuka. She approached him with a smaller bounce in her step than before. It was obvious that she was tired.

"May I work with your power player, buchou-chan?"

Buchou-chan...

Oishi frowned as Kikumaru's laughs exploded once more. Momo couldn't hold his own chortles down either, and Ryoma smirked. Inui's shock multiplied, and Kawamura nervously smiled as he noticed Fuji waiting complacently for Tezuka's reaction.

"Not today, Echizen-chan." Tezuka showed no difference in his manner, and Kamiko nodded.

Momo twirled Kamiko around and placed his arm on her shoulder, "Meet the senpai-tachi." Momo introduced rather vaguely, Kamiko followed his arm as he pointed to each senpai.

"Kikumaru Eiji, at your service, pretty lady!" Kikumaru stood up, saluting comically.

Kamiko giggled, making the red head smile wider, "Ne, Fujiko, introduce yourself, nya!"

"Saa, Fuji Syusuke." His smile was friendly, eyes closed, and Kamiko wondered idly what color his eyes could be.

She guessed brown.

"Hello again, Kami-chan." Kawamura waved.

Kamiko smiled at the familiar face, "Ah~! Kon'nichiwa, Taka-chan!"

-chan?

"You two have met before?"

Kamiko nodded to Momo's question, "Taka-chan's sushi restaurant! I always eat from there. I also know Inui-chan and Buchou-chan."

That prompted Kamiko to look to the boy standing beside Tezuka and Kikumaru.

The boy with two short strands of black hair nodded politely, "I'm Oishi Shuichiro, our training is in your hands, Kamiko-san."

"Shite kudasai, call me Kami-chan, Oishi-chan!"

"-ch-chan?" Oishi's eyes widened as he stammered.

Kamiko nodded with a huge smile, "Mhm!"

"Ne, ne, Kyu Echizen!" Kikumaru exclaimed, "Why are you calling Oishi Oishi-chan?"

"Because we're friends now, Kiku-chan! Right, Fuji-chan?"

"I guess so, Kami-chan." Fuji seemed to get along with her perfectly.

Momo decided to go with it, and shrugged as Kamiko sat on the coach's bench.

"Which team are we going up against next?" Kamiko asked.

"Yamabuki Middle School."

"Ya-ma-bu-ki." Kamiko repeated, she sat up straighter and seemed to be searching for something in her mind, "Ah! That's the school that hurt Ryo-chan a couple days ago!"

Kamiko smiled wide, "You took a beating, Ryo-chan, ne? Next time it won't be so easy for them. Sada-chan, let's go over the training regimen!"

"A-ah." Inui nodded.

His friends were enjoying the fact that Inui was caught off guard, he couldn't even write in his notebook before Kamiko had haphazardly listed off ways to improve stamina, strength, and technique.

"Oh! And if we added some of these ingredients to that juice I noticed you giving out at practice we could maximize the efficiency." Kamiko added lastly.

"Maximize... ano... you do mean the taste, right?" Kikumaru asked.

Fuji chuckled, "I quite like the taste."

"Nobody else does!" Chorused the other boys.

Kamiko giggled. She hadn't expected for the team to be so diverse, or memorable. When she glanced over at Ryoma being hassled by Momo and Kikumaru, she smiled.

_'No wonder Ryo-chan loves this place. I hope I can love it as much too.'_

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><p>"Sakuno," Kamiko waved over at the first year girl, "Your form is better than the last time!"<p>

Sakuno blushed in embarrassment, and nodded meekly, "A-arigato, Kamiko-san."

"-chan. It's Kami-_chan_, remember?"

"Hai! Kami-sa...-chan."

"Echizen Kamiko, hmph," Hana shook her head, "I never thought I'd see the day that you actually stuck with a sport."

Kamiko smiled and nodded, "I've been helping the boys team for awhile now, actually. I came here to see if you needed any help!"

"Leaving the boys once your precious niichan got kicked out of the club? How dastardly." Sakura spat.

Kamiko frowned. She wasn't one to hide emotions like Hitomi, and even Lily was able to control herself at times.

"E...eto, but I was just trying to help you. Momo-nii will come back! I know so!"

"Hmph, hopefully soon then," Hana said, diffusing any oncoming conflict between the two girls, "We need to be getting back to our own practice now, Kami-chan, so if you would...?"

Kamiko nodded, and headed back to the boy's tennis courts. Girls could be so mean sometimes. After the incident between Kamiko and Sakura, most of the girls' team was forced to stop talking to Kamiko. Sakura had made sure of that multiple times. Girls weren't very strong in their opinions when an alpha-female took the lead.

Yet, one other girl in Momo's life was able to convince her to come back. And that had been An.

"Kami-chan," Inui noted, "With all the training underway, and with Momo back and running laps, I'm sure you have enough time to check up on Hitomi-san."

"Hontouni?!" Kamiko's eyes lit up in excitement after Inui nodded, "Arigato gozaimasu!"

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><p><strong>Disclaimer: I do not own any charactersplot/etc., of the PoT manga/anime.**


	5. 04P: Hyotei's New Additions

**A new character, which means we're finally delving into a deeper sense of the story and more characters from the show! :D Yay! **

** Clocked002: Thanks so much for your review! It made me do a little happy dance, LOL. I'm glad you like Echizen Kamiko, and I hope you can accept these next few characters that will support the main plot! **

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><p>"<em>Oi~<em>! Shishido! Gakuto! Jirou! Check it out!" A young Japanese girl with deep, dark brown hair and unusual blue eyes waved happily from the cafeteria, and held up a plate of sweets, "There's even dessert!"

"Put that down, Hitomi-chan!" Shishido Ryo scolded.

Ito Hitomi stuck her tongue out, and the four first years heard commotion in other areas. All the places they checked out were brand new to the school. newly installed, and state of the art. Even the theatre, Hitomi's favorite place, was brand new and ready to be used for cases such as Broadway (or the Japanese equivalent). Unfortunately, Hitomi's day ended in the middle of class when she got a call from one of her high school friends, claiming that they'd found a Hyotei kid walking around the streets.

"Oi! Hitomi! One of your friends?" Sai, her high school friend, called out.

Hitomi noted the blue haired boy immediately, and shook her head, "Ie, not one of my friends. You're from Hyotei?"

"Name's Oshitari Yuushi." He muttered, he obviously did not like the fact that he was being escorted to school by a girl, and Hitomi rolled her eyes.

"Hitomi's my name, don't ask about my family name." She added quickly when seeing Oshitari's eyes tense in curiosity, "So you play tennis?"

She motioned to the tennis bag right away, and Oshitari nodded.

"I played a bit in the Kansai region."

"Kansai... Oh! You're _Oshitari Yuushi_! I should have known!" Hitomi exclaimed, "Hm... well, I guess it makes sense that our tennis club would have another guy who's going to be popular."

His glance at her as they walked into the gates asked for an explanation, and Hitomi gave one rather quickly.

"A kid in our class, Atobe Keigo, is joining the tennis club too. He transformed the school overnight with his money from Atobe Directorate. My friends told me he was joining the club, so I looked him up. He's played a lot in Europe."

"You research fairly well." He said.

Hitomi nodded, "Well, I'm gonna go check up on them, don't get lost again, kay, Oshitari-kun?"

He nodded, and watched as Hitomi walked to the tennis courts, taking his cellphone out so he could talk to his cousin on the phone.

The thing is, when Hitomi got to the tennis courts, she found no one. That is, until they walked out onto the courts.

"Oi, oi! I'm earlier than you are and it's _your_ practice!" Hitomi yelled to Shishido, Gakuto Mukahi, and Jiro Akutugawa. Though, she seemed to scold the senpai also, "Is it a good idea to do that when you're supposed to be aiming for the Nationals?"

"Geesh, we can't have two kids scolding us." A third year muttered, "Especially when this one is a _girl_."

"Two...?" Hitomi had seen Atobe Keigo walking onto the courts, racket in hand, a cocky smile on his face, "Oh... Well, that just sucks for you, doesn't it?"

"Hitomi! Watch your mouth! They're your senpai too!" Shishido scolded.

Hitomi stuck her tongue out, "Gomen, gomen, but it's so much fun to watch people squirm when no one else can tell you you're wrong."

"We tell you you're wrong all the time..." Gakuto muttered.

Jirou snickered as Hitomi stuck her tongue again, narrowing her eyes for a glaring effect. She leaned against the rail, and spoke to the team as the first of the regulars stepped onto the court.

"Is that Atobe kid going up against a regular?" Hitomi asked.

Gakuto nodded, "Yeah, he was making a fuss in the clubhouse so the captain said that if he won against all the regulars he could do what he wants, but if he lost even one match, he'd get kicked out of the club."

"Heh?! Really? That's c-... Actually, what did he say he wanted to do?"

"He was talking about how age is just a number and we should have our ranks based on skill."

"That's not too bad though, if you think about it." Hitomi said, pressing a finger to her lip in thought, "Actually, that's been done before plenty of times! It's a cliché, actually."

"Who are you calling cliché?" The young Atobe seemed to pout, but it was replaced with a smirk once his 'senpai' lost 6 straight matches. It'd only been 10 minutes.

That's when Hitomi got snarky, "Oh, I'm sorry, is there another Atobe heir I should know about? A better looking one, maybe?"

She covered her mouth once she'd spoken the words, yet heard several snickers throughout the crowd.

"Uh... Gomen! That was rude of me."

It seemed as if the Atobe heir hadn't heard the girl, as he'd moved onto the next regulars, each and every one was beaten, and it just made Shishido angrier.

"I still don't want you to be my captain!" Shishido yelled stubbornly.

"A~hn? Is that so?"

"Yeah!"

Gakuto had to help his friend, and of course, sided with Shishido, "I'm not satisfied either."

"Then step onto the courts, but, it's waste of time if I play both of you separately."

"Two-on-one?" Everyone whispered.

Hitomi scoffed, took a page from her script, and threw a ball of paper at Shishido's head.

"Itai! What the hell... **_HITOMI_**!"

"Whatever!" Hitomi rolled her eyes, "I'm saving face for you! You're gonna lose this one!"

"How do you know?" Gakuto asked, the doubt from her made him want to play even more.

"I call it how I see it," She said, "And I see that you're gonna lose even if it's two against one."

"We're playing anyway!"

"Fine..." Hitomi sat down next to Oshitari, and rolled her eyes.

"I think you should let them play." He said.

He didn't regret it half an hour later when the two first years lost 6-3. Hitomi sat up straighter then.

"Hey," She said, "Why don't you play?"

Oshitari looked onto the court, "It does seem interesting..."

"Then go!" She pushed Oshitari onto the court, and found herself helping Gakuto up.

"No outsiders-"

"I know the rules." Hitomi interrupted, "But, like I said, I'm saving face for you. At least this guy won't lose too bad."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Oshitari muttered as he loosened his tie, by that time, multitudes of students had gathered round (most being girls), and it was hard to hear a lot of things being said.

Hitomi smiled anyway, "Hey, I can't deny a good player when I see one, no matter how absurdly obtuse he can be at proper manners."

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><p><strong>Disclaimer: I do not own any charactersplot/etc., of the PoT manga/anime.**


	6. 05: Allies and Enemies Overseas

**Disclaimer: I do not own any characters/plot/etc., of the PoT manga/anime.**

**Please enjoy this chapter!**

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><p>"Itai! What the hell... <strong><em>HITOMI<em>**!"

Hitomi smiled slyly, her brown hair used to be below her shoulders when they were first years, now, in their third year, it was down to below her chest, and that was when it was in a ponytail.

"It's not my fault, Shishido," She said rather defiantly, "You didn't catch the ball in time."

"I'm a retriever, not a f*cking ninja!" He retorted back.

Chotarou sighed, "Hitomi-senpai, I think Shishido-san is tired today."

"Why is she senpai and I'm san?!" Shishido asked his kouhai.

Hitomi burst into a small fit of hidden giggles as Chotarou stuttered, unable to think of a good reason. She snaked her arm around the poor second year's arm and pulled him closer to her side.

"Aw, poor Chotarou, it's ok. Shishido is just mad because it's his last year in middle school without having gotten the number one spot in the Nationals."

"It's cause of stupid Rikkaidai!" Gakuto spat, "Them and the Three Demons."

"I always thought Yukimura-kun was nice..." Hitomi said, she looked over at the team expectantly, and most turned away.

They disagreed when it came to facing him themselves.

"Oi, Hitomi, get away from ore-sama's team."

Hitomi rolled her eyes, and, quite mockingly, used the best female fan girl voice she could, "Oh gosh, sure, Atobe-sama! Do you want me to shine your shoes, Atobe-sama? Maybe I can bring you some chocolates for Valentines Day, Atobe-sama! Don't worry, I know your favorite, Atobe-sama!"

Gakuto and Shishido snickered the loudest, and Oshitari sighed, ready to break up the two if need be.

Hitomi never meant to be so rude to Atobe, and sometimes Atobe considered the mock affection to pass for his taste, and allowed her to do so, but things between the two always fell out either awkwardly or horribly. For one thing, Hitomi had grown to actually admire Atobe during the second year, but on few points, and it grew to even fewer points once Oshitari gave her the inside advantage of hanging out with Atobe. Now she seemed to like him only as a mutual acquaintance.

"Come now, you two, we have practice, don't we?" Oshitari asked.

Hitomi snapped out of her fangirl facade, crossed her arms and went to the stands, and sat at her (what seemed to be reserved) spot in the front of the bleachers. Being the girl that she was (and knowing Oshitari, Jirou, Gakuto, and Shishido on a personal level), she always came to practice to ask Oshitari for a ride home. The tensai was the only one who knew why, and once he asked Atobe, as a personal favor, of course, Atobe complied. What the tensai's favor was? To let Hitomi stay even in the private practices so he could bring her home.

There'd been a longtime understanding that Hitomi and Oshitari were closer than most, and it even led people to believe that they were going out. Hitomi quickly dispelled the accusations with a slap to Oshitari's face, telling him that it was _his_ fault for letting people speak of her that way. Oshitari knew he deserved it, since he led everyone to believe it. No one questioned it then, but if the matter did come up, Oshitari had two ways of dealing with it:

A) He would shut them up, before Hitomi could.

or B) He would be the one to deal with them, since it was far better that he do it than Hitomi

Today was another typical private practice, like no other, and it was exhausting. After all, Seigaku had already won against St. Rudolph, and since Seigaku won against Yamabuki, they'd go up against Hyotei.

Hyotei was preparing, they couldn't lose. They would be out of the roster for Nationals immediately after a second loss. It was all or nothing now.

Hours later, as practice ended, they all saw Hitomi leaning against the railing, dozing off as much as Jirou would be.

Oshitari sighed. It must have been a long night for Hitomi.

"Oi, Hitomi!" Shishido yelled, "Wake up, you dork!"

Hitomi muttered an obscenity to Shishido that made even Gakuto blush, yet it wasn't until she heard two familiar voices that her eyes widened.

"Hitomi napping? Now isn't that just a pleasant sight to see?"

"Pleasant? It's downright exhilarating to finally see someone like her shut up."

The voices caused Hitomi to sit up straight, and she turned around to find two people that she absolutely did _not_ want to see.

"Who're you?" Mukahi asked.

"Kenji, Otto." She spoke indifferently to the two high school students, "What are two _morons_ like you doing here?"

That was surprising. If anything, Hitomi was widely known around school for being one of the cordial, offering anything from homework help to acting tips. She wasn't one to throw around rude words unless it was with her favorite friends- the Hyotei tennis team, and even then she was never serious like now.

"We followed you." The first boy, Kenji, stated simply. He jumped down to the first row of bleachers and stood up straight to meet her with an amused glare.

His brown eyes matched the rugged brown hair of his. Hitomi acted calmly towards his presence. Kenji, at first glance, was handsome. But over the course of time Hitomi had come to the conclusion that he was as monstrous as one could be. He only proved that by disrespecting Kamiko.

His wilder friend had erratically spiked black hair, and his black eyes had a small hint of insanity in them. His grin scared Chotarou, Hitomi noticed.

"Wasn't it obvious?"

"H~mn, what's this? No non-members are allowed on these courts." Atobe found the two boys annoying anyway, but the fact that the two actually stalked a girl and proceeded to interrupt his practice annoyed him further.

"Then let's take this someplace else," Hitomi muttered to the two high schoolers, "I'd rather you not be so flashy. It's unflattering."

"But, you see, if we did that, there would have been no point in us coming."

She questioned them silently, and Kenji turned back to her while Otto kept his eyes on the regulars.

"We need an audience simply because you refuse to tell anyone, especially **_her_**." Kenji said.

Hitomi kept her eyes on Otto, who's glare never left Chotarou, and when he was about to jump over the rail she stopped him.

"**_Otto!_**" She yelled.

The boy stopped in his tracks, and turned around. Imagine his surprise when he felt something like a textbook smacking him across the face, Hitomi's eyes narrowed slightly when he smiled.

"Hurt my teammate again and I'll make sure you can't hold a racquet," She threatened, she composed herself when her panicked blue eyes met that of Atobe's. Her eyes shot back instantly to the two high school goers, and narrowed, "Take a step further to _them_ and I'll make sure you can't walk."

"_Now_ you're acting like a captain." Otto rubbed his cheek, and noticed Hitomi's script in her hands.

Hyotei was confused by the conversation. As far as they knew, Hitomi had no extra curricular activities. She barely even glanced at a racquet, and she took no interest in sporting events.

She scoffed, and put the script in her bag, "I've always been captain. No one else is qualified enough to take my place."

Shishido shot a dirty glare at Oshitari, if anyone was to know anything, it would be him. He was quiet and turned back to the exchange between Hitomi and her two _companions_.

"So why'd you retire?"

"Because if I'd stayed I would have beaten you and you would have been humiliated. I would've beaten anyone else you _paid_ to play dirty too."

"Urusai!" Otto yelled back.

Hitomi didn't even flinch at the oncoming hit, and took it with her head held high, though the force of the hit caused her to fall down. Hitomi stood up. She was a stubborn one, after all. Otto had hit her so hard that her ponytail had come undone, and the red mark on her face was even redder than the one on his.

"Hitomi-chan!"/"Hitomi-San!"

She was bleeding already.

"Control yourself, Otto." Kenji smirked, "We're in enemy's territory."

"Your only enemy is me." Hitomi said; she winced as she grinned.

It was painful for her to even smile at the moment.

"If you're so high and mighty then that means you pay the price. You're responsible. You understand?" Kenji asked abruptly, he was getting tired of beating around the bush.

Hitomi nodded silently, and cast a warning glance to Oshitari. She wanted no interference.

"I can take my own consequences." She muttered to those around her, and more importantly, to herself.

It was hard for Oshitari to hold Shishido back, and Gakuto, and Jirou. But he had to, even when Hitomi bent over in pain from the punch she'd taken in the stomach. There was another punch, and Otto threw her against the rail. Once her back hit the railing Otto punched her gut, and aimed for the kidneys last.

So it was suddenly shocking to hear her breaths of suffering and pain turn into a haughty laugh. It was an insane laugh comparable to Atobe when he knew what was going on.

"You think that _**that**_ could hurt me?" She laughed and looked up, her eyes narrowed in challenge, "I think I've given you more credit than you deserve."

"Why you-"

"Otto, I wouldn't."

Kenji couldn't, or rather _didn't_, stop Otto from kicking her so hard in the stomach. She practically flew over the railing and landed on the floor of the courts.

"Ace." Otto smirked, he thought of himself as witty because of the remark.

With the help of her friends Hitomi was able to get up, and she laughed weakly.

"It's gonna take more than that to make me stoop to your level." She spat.

A clanking noise, and her eyes widened in shock as two metal plates cracked in half and fell from her waist. She looked at them disapprovingly.

"Those weights cost me a fortune!" She winced, "That's it! The deal's done!"

"You were using those weights to pad against our blows, that's cheating." Kenji explained calmly.

"I wear those everyday!" She cried out, she stepped back and gasped when a sudden realization hit her.

"You knew that... " She accused, "You purposely made me look like I was cheating so you'd win on default! Bastard!"

She couldn't handle it anymore, and ran at the two. She looked faster than any tennis ball, and jumped up to the railing, swinging upwards so as to kick either Otto or Kenji when she landed.

A snap.

"Kabaji, retrieve her."

"Usu." Kabaji listened compliantly and caught Hitomi before she landed, and even if Hitomi struggled against the big second year her eyes remained on them.

"Bye, Hitomi-'_san_'." Kenji smirked.

Otto saluted her off mockingly, "See you soon, Hitomi-'_chan_'."

Oshitari was one of the first to recover from the incident, and looked at the metal plates on the floor.

"I thought you'd just gotten heavier." He said.

Any other moment of the day, Hitomi would have hit him. Instead, she laughed lightly, the same sparkle of playfulness lighting her face up.

"It helps me keep in shape," She remarked, "Think of wrist weights, except for your torso... The fact that I get a flat stomach always helps too."

"Hoi, this isn't the time to be joking! Who were they?!" Shishido asked, he was so much more annoyed than most.

"High-school students. American High-school students."

That was her only reply.

Before any other questions were asked, Hitomi quietly thanked the girl who called her.

"Oi! _Mi-chan_!" Echizen Kamiko yelled, her dark hair and light golden eyes caught sight of everyone and everything on the court.

She entered the courts happily, "Hyotei-chan...? Are you coming to Mi-chan's match too?"

Scratch that, Hitomi regret even _meeting_ Kamiko now.

"No," She responded for them, "They're not. They don't want to waste their time on something so... _Trivial._"

She glanced at a certain captain for agreement, something to show he wasn't interested. He wasn't.

But the fact that he was the only one able to see her fear had in fact interested him.

"They were in the video too," Kamiko explained, holding out her cellphone and playing a video that relayed exactly what had happened before, "I thought they were coming cause they'd actually seen it happen, and everyone goes to watch Mi-chan's match. Especially when you're going up against cheaters, Mi-chan."

"No." Hitomi said for her friends, "They're not coming."

Kamiko was already convincing the team to go, "Aw, that's no fun. You owned up to your captain position already! You're more than capable of-"

"I'm perfectly capable of getting Emi and Lily to replace you, if that's what you mean," It felt as if Hitomi was ignoring the situation at hand as she grabbed her things and began walking out, "You're not getting near this match without my say. And believe me," She turned back, her eyes narrowed at every single person there, "There won't be anything nice to say either."

Kamiko waited till Hitomi was gone before smirking, and shrugged.

"Mi-chan is just being shy." She concluded.

The second year turned to Oshitari and mischievously handed him a note, "Meet us at this place in an hour, and maybe Mi-chan will be in a better mood then!"

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><p><strong>So this chapter has a lot of explaining to do, but I promise that if you stick with me, all will be explained (inevitably)! <strong>


	7. 06: Gladiator Tennis, Round One

**A/N: I would like to apologize for my lack of... well, to put it quite frankly, _commitment_. Thank you though, for keeping me on your Story Favorites/Alerts, or even for clicking on the title in passing! I hope, after reading the previous chapters and this next one as well, that you can enjoy my story. I would just like to say that, and I don't say this as an excuse, 2013 has not been too kind of a year, 2012 hasn't either. But I've grown from it and after being scared for so long I'm glad to say that I have gathered enough courage to continue to publish this story.**

**Please enjoy!  
><strong>

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><p>"Ah, there you are, Hyotei-chan!" Kamiko ran out the front of a huge warehouse building when she noticed a limousine pulling to a stop, "You're just in time!"<p>

"Echizen-chan, what the hell is this?" Gakuto asked when she led the team inside.

Was it a high school party? It certainly looked like it. High schoolers and college students alike walked in and out of the warehouse doors, with it's second floor overflowing with people and crowding around the center of the building. Concrete and dust both framed and covered the two floors, kicking up as the people crowded around.

"Gladiator Tennis." The regulars of Hyotei Gakuen turned to the somewhat familiar voice, and recognized the school uniform immediately.

Ootori's head quirked to Kamiko, "St. Rudolph comes to this as well?"

"No, just me." Yuuta crossed his arms, "Did Kami-chan drag you here?"

"We came here to see Hitomi." Oshitari walked forward with Yuuta, leading his team to where most people were watching, "They know nothing of it."

"Of _what_?" Shishido asked, clearly annoyed at being kept in the dark about all of this. First, Hitomi has a double life, then Oshitari is friends with this cheery girl that gave them the directions to this shady warehouse! He felt like he deserved a clear and straight forward answer, for once.

"Gladiator Tennis is basically street tennis, with a few tweaks added in for dramatic effect." Oshitari glanced back as Kamiko cleared the way for them. He paused in his step long enough to elbow out the disinterest in Atobe's eyes.

"Hm~n?" Atobe looked over at Oshitari, and noticed Kamiko's expectant look, "Ah, well it's certainly _interesting, _little peasant."

Kamiko giggled happily, and continued on her way to lead them to the center of attention. "I like that! Little peasant... It fits well, King-chan!"

Gakuto shrugged away from a boy that was walking the opposite direction of them, and noticed that high schooler's nose was bloody and his knees were scraped, "Dramatic effect..."

"One net, one court, one ball, no rules." Yuuta summarized quickly, "It gets bloody violent. Everyone here is a high schooler or older, we're the youngest and that's only because Kami-chan's friend is the youngest player to be leading the whole damn thing."

"Leading?"

As they progressed into the crowd, it was harder to hear, the crowd was getting restless.

Yuuta yelled back to them as he almost lost Oshitari and Kamiko, when he turned back he noticed how Kabaji was clearing the path for Atobe, 'What a freaking pompous dude.' He thought before replying. "Gladiator Tennis is different from street tennis because the ones who play do it for the money and the territory. The one who's leading the empire now is the youngest. Not to mention the only girl ever to be a leader."

"Oi! Clear the way, it's Kamiko!"

A gruff, cheery voice yelled in their direction. The older kids all parted like the Red Sea, leaving Kamiko grinning in the middle as she led her friends to the front. A black-haired boy greeted them with a friendly wave and a cocky grin, despite his black eye.

"Oshitari, good to see you haven't lost interest, eh?" The boy grinned.

Oshitari nodded, "Sai."

"Come on," Sai laughed, "So cold even after all these years. Now, who're the kids?"

"I invited them, Sai-chan! They're Mi-chan's friends!"

"Ah... Hyotei kids. Nice to meet you." Sai greeted them.

"What's up with this place?" Jirou blinked around, he had fully awoken (he was only able to walk and follow his friends because they had tied a rope around his waist, with the other end tied to Kabaji) when the crowd roared for a match between two boys. The crowd was circled around an arena, that had no lines of any kind. The net was so long that it ran from one end of the wall to the other.

"Well, Gladiator Tennis is a lot like running a kingdom. The war is the tennis, the palace is the warehouse; no rules on warfare, just etiquette. Kids from all over Japan compete for a slice of that kingdom, and if you win enough you end up running the whole damn thing. Tokyo's the biggest, has been for a couple years, and we've only got one major enemy- Hokkaido. The territory is divided in half right now."

"Oi- watch it!" Shishido barked as the crowd moved from front and center and shifted over to the right.

Sai scoffed and looked at the court, "You have to let that go. The crowd is the scoreboard. When you lose a point, you lose a part of the palace- or warehouse. If they shift to the right it means that Hokkaido won the point. If they shift to the left it means we won the point. When a team wins a game they keep that fourth of the palace, and continue till they have all four parts."

"How does one win a point without there being any rules?" Hiyoshi found the flaw in their game immediately.

"Same as a regular match- you get a point if your opponent can't return the ball, except there are no outs or faults. Since the net is so long it's street etiquette to face your opponent head on. It's more fun destroying an opponent that way anyway."

"It's literally like winning a tennis game except without lines, and more blood... And the people are scoreboards?" Gakuto asked for reassurance.

"Except tonight it's like literally _losing_ a tennis game." Kamiko pointed out by pointing at the second floor, "Hokkaido's crowd overtook the second floor, and they just took the third game-"

Kamiko was interrupted when they shifted to the left, as a result of the match, "-Oh. Now we're tied. Never mind!"

"When a crowd overtakes the first and second floor then they've won that game. They play like a team, but there's one doubles and three singles to determine who keeps the palace overall." Oshitari explained, "We've come just in time for the last ones to play- the captain's match. Since the score is tied whoever wins takes the Tokyo palace, and if Tokyo loses you all move out to your other city palace in the Kanagawa prefecture."

"Thanks for the reminder." Sai rolled his eyes.

Kamiko pulled on Sai's t-shirt sleeve, ignoring the dirt that scuffed the hem, "Ne, ne, Sai-chan! Who's leading Hokkaido tonight?"

"Otagaki." Sai said, watching as a guy with spiked black and orange hair jumped over the concrete wall. The black and orange streaks were continuous in his theme as he snarled like a tiger at their side. Sai glared in response.

"Well, Mi-chan can win against this guy." Kamiko shrugged.

"Mi-chan?!" Gakuto and Jirou yelled.

Shishido angrily glared, "You mean Hitomi?!"

"Hai!" Kamiko looked surprised when they expressed their outrage, "Mi-chan is the leader of Tokyo's Gladiator Tennis."

"She'll be fine," Sai assured them, "She beat out all of us when she was just a first year, claiming that age and gender didn't matter when it came to skill, blah, blah, blah. She acted like it was the most offensive thing and won out of pure anger."

The third years glanced at each other, knowing exactly where that type of thinking came from. Atobe smirked.

"That was before you even attended Hyotei, Atobe. Don't think you influenced me."

"Mi-chan!" Kamiko waved joyously when she saw her friend, but stopped when she could see Hitomi's state better.

Hitomi's shirt was muddied in concrete dust and streaked with dirt, while her shorts revealed that her legs were in no better shape.

"I want them out." Hitomi crossed her arms.

"Mi-chan, they just want to see."

"No. Get out." Hitomi glared stubbornly.

"H-Hitomi-senpai..." Ootori frowned, "You can't kick us out! We were invited by Kami-"

"No way, you lame ass. We came already and we're staying. Thanks for the invite." Shishido snidely replied, interrupting Ootori.

Hitomi scoffed, "Excuse me? I don't want you involved in this! If any of you get hurt then _I'm_ the one in trouble."

"Mi-chan!"

Hitomi looked behind her to where Kamiko pointed, and saw stones the size of her palm headed their way. Sai jumped atop the wall and to the other side, pushing everyone back as Hitomi stood in his place. The stones hit her left shoulder before continuing, and in one fell swoop Hitomi managed to move and backhand the stones back, then she swung with a forehand when she saw the ball that came a second after.

"If you try to win like a coward, I'll gladly help you _lose_ like a coward as well." Hitomi's arrogant jeer of a remark garnered a reaction from both crowds: either boo's or cheers.

"Hitomi-senpai is never like this." Ootori observed, looking to his senpai.

Sai smirked, "Yeah, she lied about the influence thing."

"When Hitomi assumed the role of leadership she based it off of a certain leader she had the opportunity of seeing every day." Oshitari glanced at Atobe.

Atobe caught the look directed to him, "Ahn~? What are you looking at, Yuushi?"

"Nothing."

"So why was Mi-chan beat up before she started her match already?" Kamiko asked Sai.

"One of the doubles players ran head first into the wall. She replaced him. It's a good thing you guys weren't here for that, we went overboard in that one cause she was pissed off. We managed to crack the beat up cement of the first and second floor." Sai motioned up to the second floor, where dust fell from the walls. Bits and pieces of concrete fell from a continuous line that connected the first to the second floor.

"Oi! Little girl aren't you in over your head?" Otagaki teased as he aimed a ball directly at Kamiko's face.

Yuuta moved forward to protect Kamiko, but was thankful anyway as Hitomi returned it, sending it flying straight at Otagaki's head.

He turned his sharply pointed nose upwards and laughed, dodging it so it hit the wall behind him.

"Don't get too angry, little chick, or are you crumbling under the pressure?"

Hitomi scoffed, having to hide her panting since she was already out of breath. It was no use though, it seemed like her previous match had worn her out already.

"If you're so tired I'll do you a favor and make sure you never pick up a racquet again!" Otagaki continued to tease when Hitomi served, sending a ball flying straight to him.

He returned it with ease, and continued playing around with her as he controlled the pace.

"Gotcha!" Otagaki cackled with glee when he was able to send cement stones flying at her face, the ball coming along with it.

Hitomi turned her shoulder to them instinctively, wincing when a particularly large one ripped her shirt apart, and with it some skin. She felt her shoulder jerk forward painfully when the ball turned out to be a rock, and she let go of her racquet to cover her shoulder.

"Augh!" She cringed.

"Hitomi!"

Shishido and Gakuto were willing to run and fight this lousy piece of scum, and were about to when Sai stopped them.

"Any interference means an automatic forfeit." He warned, "Besides, here that's not cheating."

"Hitomi-chan is already so exhausted from the other game, though. And she's losing this one..." Jirou frowned.

"It's troublesome... but, if we have to, those of us that don't have a home will go to Kanagawa to tell them we've lost... I'll go get things ready."

"_Don't you dare_."

Sai froze when he heard Hitomi's seething tone, and turned around, finding that she was still holding her shoulder, analyzing the way Otagaki's smirk became wider with glee.

"Hitomi, come on, we can't win them all. You said so yourself."

"Don't. You. _Dare_." She repeated more venomously, "I won't lose."

She glanced over her injured shoulder to Sai, narrowing her eyes till he resigned himself to watching alongside the rest.

"Fine. Show me what you got then, boss." Sai challenged, "Surprise us with your spectacular win."

"For a coward," Hitomi seemed to ignore Sai's sarcastic remarks and directed all her attention to Otagaki, "You like to play over petty things."

"This place isn't as petty as you think," Otagaki rolled his eyes, not falling for the obvious bait that Hitomi had set. He wasn't going to let her rile him up so he could make a mistake! "Tokyo's got a lot of opportunities that you can't see, which is understandable since a girl can't stomach them."

"There's one opportunity you're not aware of just yet."

The evil looking boy lowered his racquet to his side just as Hitomi picked hers up, "Really?" He asked, unimpressed, "And what opportunity is that?"

"I could lose today, pick up a racquet tomorrow once I've recovered, and then crush you. We could go back and forth for months, years even."

"Haven't we already?" Otagaki snorted in disbelief. What the hell was this chick getting at?

Hitomi held in her irritation and forced a smile, "Exactly. Except you barely ever win, and I don't see myself losing any time in the near future."

"I can see into the near future too; you'll lose tonight in five minutes!"

"Would you like to bet on that?" Hitomi challenged.

"I'm all for it if you are." Otagaki smirked. He had the upper-hand. She was the one who was at a disadvantage; she was hurt, and she was physically exhausted.

Hitomi mirrored his smirk, "If I can't take you down in five minutes I'll stop playing forever. You can take my racquet just to be sure, and everything that I've earned through this sport- right down to the people in them. If you lose, it's the same consequence."

"Deal."

This was just the opportunity that Otagaki would kill to have, and she practically served it to him on a silver platter.

"What!" "Hey!"

Sai and the 'followers' expressed their disdain at the idea, and Otagaki laughed- a long, loud, gleeful laugh because it was an open invitation for him to win. Sai didn't ask to be poker chips in this crazy bet, and he certainly didn't agree to it!

"What the hell are you doing?!" Sai yelled.

Hitomi spun around, tossing Sai the tennis ball with a fierce look in her eye, "_Surprise_."

"You little b-"

"Throw the ball."

Sai expressed his anger by chucking the ball straight at Otagaki's head. Hitomi jumped and swung at the ball, doubling it's power and strength immediately.

"Four minutes and fifty five seconds." Otagaki tilted his head to the right, letting the ball pass him quickly, "Let me give you your retirement present now then!"

They were to play in a tie break style, and for Otagaki's serve Hitomi would rally, and ended up aiming for the same spot of his head like she did the serve. Otagaki dodged it the same way- with a tilt of his head, but he toyed with Hitomi, making his service last longer than hers.

Hitomi served; Otagaki dodged. Five seconds.

Otagaki served and rallied, tiring her out; Hitomi would aim again for his head. Fifteen seconds.

Hitomi served; Otagaki dodged. Five seconds.

Otagaki served; Hitomi rallied; Otagaki rallied; Hitomi took a shot at his head. Twenty seconds.

Overall, it was getting pretty repetitive.

"What the hell is she doing?!" Shishido asked Sai.

Yuuta scoffed when he recognized the strategy, "Hitomi-senpai is trying to win by knocking him out."

"The only way to win here is by winning the whole palace or being the last one standing," Kamiko explained further, "Mi-chan knows that scoring would take longer, so she's deliberately going to get him to give up by default."

"And _it's not working_!" Sai loudly replied, directing the statement more to Hitomi.

Hitomi glanced back after Otagaki dodged the ball, and tossed Sai a tennis ball, "Throw it."

Sai complied quickly. Even though he hated being used as a prize for a bet, he didn't want to hurt Hitomi's chances on a timed challenge. She doubled the power of the throw with her serve again, and it hit the wall with a larger than life thud.

Otagaki smirked, "One minute and a half left?"

"Serve the ball," She got down into a receiving stance, "It's about time you get taken down a notch."

"Ha! We'll see about that."

His rally took another fifteen seconds, and after Hitomi served (taking up another five seconds), he made sure that this rally lasted thirty. He couldn't believe how easy it was to win! Especially when it was so repetitively _boring_!

"You're a smart gal!" He yelled, "Giving up this way to try to save face!"

His side of the crowd was already counting down the last ten seconds, and Hitomi threw the ball up and swung, smirking when her side of the crowd noticed the difference in power immediately. Otagaki dodged it as he normally would, and winked when they got to seven.

"Nice knowin' ya, babe."

"Six! Five!"

Hitomi's posture straightened, and she no longer breathed heavily as she tossed her racquet to Sai, ignoring the noise of the crowd. The crowd was silenced when they heard the sound of breaking ground.

"Thr-" The last of the crowd watched in awe when the cracks of the cement branched out and connected again with that of the second level, and chaos erupted once the walls began to crumble.

Right on top of Otagaki.

"What did he say about crumbling under the pressure?" Hitomi asked Kamiko with a smug smirk, knocking fists with the shell shocked younger girl.

"Holy shit! What the hell were you thinking?!" Sai's eyes widened when people had to back away from the edge of the second floor, "Who's gonna clean this up?!"

"If you think he could actually beat me I should beat _you_. You're supposed to trust me."

"You're crazy!" He groaned, jumping over the wall to see if anyone else had gotten hurt under the debris.

"Sugoi~ Hitomi-chan!" Jirou jumped up, "That was awesome!"

Hitomi took a deep breath and shook her head, "It was nothing, really. That boy's got the ego the size of an ocean. All I needed to do was act like the weak little girl he thought I was."

"The acting was impressive," Gakuto commended, "It was like Yuushi when he uses his Shadow to close his heart up."

"Really, Gakuto, that description is unnecessary every time you say it." Oshitari adjusted his glasses to cover up his irked expression.

"It's not as impressive when one notices the blood on her shoulder." Atobe crossed his arms. Had he really been the only one to notice that Hitomi was still bleeding?

Ootori gaped when he saw what Atobe mentioned, "Hitomi-senpai!" Her ripped shirt was practically being dyed red at the back. Hitomi covered her shoulder with her arm, and glared at Atobe.

"Well, Atobe-sama," She sarcastically noted, "It was impressive enough for even you to notice."

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><p><strong>Disclaimer: I do not own any charactersplot/etc., of the PoT manga/anime.**


	8. 07: Round One's Aftermath

**A/N: Hi guys! I was rereading my own work to go over any plot holes or discontinuities and I realized that, in between all my writing, I switch between names. For example, I used both Ootori and Chotarou, or Mukahi and Gakuto, at different times. I have, for the most part, fixed this in future chapters. **

**Please forgive me for this mistake!**

**Other than that minor thing (I really hope this doesn't take away from your reading experience), please enjoy! **

**And feel free to point out any mistakes or ask if there are any questions. I'm always open to opinions/critiques, etc., etc. :)**

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><p>Hitomi's school uniform covered any and all signs of the night before, but it didn't stop any of the regulars from noticing that she was silently enduring pain. Her shoulder must have been hurting, but it looked as if her stomach held the brunt of her agony.<p>

Hitomi was somehow managing to play off the injury throughout the day, to the point where it was hard to even notice anything specifically out of character. Only Atobe could see what she was enduring. After all, his Insight was what helped him understand how other people worked; their well beings included.

What Atobe couldn't understand was why Hitomi acted like she did, and why he was so annoyed by it. He guessed it was because only he could read her.

It was amusing to Atobe, really, when he first found out that he could read Hitomi like a book. When only Atobe noticed something about her, it made him oddly ecstatic because he felt like he was reading a secret passage in a novel, a page that everyone was oblivious to except for him. Every action she took, every way she acted he could see right through it and tell exactly what she felt about the situation.

He'd noticed that:

a) When Hitomi laughed or even giggled too much she was hiding something.

And Atobe absolutely hated when people hid things from him. He thought of it as a condescending gesture.

b) She had a small twitch in her smile that she developed over time, when she refused help she needed and/or wanted.

There were plenty of opportunities that the team had offered help to Hitomi, whether it be school help or actual life experience. The girl was adamant about doing things herself.

c) If she had impeccable leadership skills and talent, with the leadership being based off of Atobe, she shouldn't hide it.

This one Atobe thought out of pure amusement. Why would anyone want to hide something that brings them closer to ore-sama? He had no idea.

and last but not least d) she was a great actress, but under normal circumstances, Hitomi would much rather express her opinion as plain and blunt as she could.

And that one Atobe had known since he first entered Hyotei, the first day he'd gotten there and won against his supposed senpai. He remembered because for one thing: she'd called him cliché, and for another: she had called him _ugly_.

It was rather pleasing for him when he saw she wanted ore-sama's affection, but as their second year passed Hitomi had suddenly turned away. Atobe didn't mind; he had tennis to worry about, and that damned Tezuka.

Recently though, Hitomi's life had suddenly turned into a horror book. And each page was suddenly filled with a growing sense of doubt that ultimately turned into fear.

It was when she was scared that he would mind. Because, no matter how close Oshitari prided himself on being to Hitomi, it seemed that only Atobe could see how scared she truly was.

When Kenji and Otto had come, he saw that she was scared to death. She wasn't even scared for her own well being- she was scared for her friends. Atobe had seen how she controlled herself to be calm when picking up the thick script, he had seen how calm she seemed after stopping Otto in his tracks, but he had also seen that one flash of panic in her eyes that truly bugged him.

How could someone so strong think that they were so vulnerable?

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><p>"Hitomi." The teacher called out.<p>

Weary eyes traveled from her script, hidden under the sleeve of a textbook and towards the sensei. Her reply was monotonous.

"Hai?"

"Answer the question."

"I don't remember it."

She truly wasn't interested in the moment, and the fact that she honestly didn't care just scared most people in the classroom. Even Jirou was creeped out.

"Hitomi-chan seems out of it," He later informed his friends at the lunch table, "Today in class she refused to pay attention to anything."

"Che, figures. Where is she now?" Shishido asked.

"Uh... Last I saw she was talking to sensei. Sensei said she would call Hitomi-chan's father."

At that Oshitari perked up, "But there was no call, was there?"

"Ie, I don't think so." Jirou shrugged, and happily ate his lunch without another disturbance.

But Oshitari looked from his table with the Hyotei regulars over to where Hitomi was seated. She was far from lonely, being sat not too far from them and with a laughing group of third years also, but her down mood was noticeable.

She cringed slightly when Gakuto poked her side, he wanted to avoid the shoulder since he had seen how painful it looked.

"How ya feeling, Hitomi-chan?"

She nodded, "Good."

"...You sure?"

Her response was not Hitomi-like at all, but when she realized that she smiled gracefully and laughed.

"I'm fine, you jumping baboon. I didn't get much sleep last night because of a project, did you?"

Gakuto noticed her change immediately but felt better at the lightened mood.

"Yeah, yeah whatever. Sit with us if you want to, kay? Jirou woke up cause of you."

"And we know something's wrong when Jirou wakes up so..." Hitomi rolled her eyes with another smile and a giggle.

She left her own friends with a small excuse me and followed Gakuto to the table of tennis players. She giggled again when she saw Jirou sleepily eating the last bit of strawberry cake.

"So, Jirou, I heard I woke you up." She laughed.

She took the last bit of cake before Jirou could eat it, waking up the third year when he realized that nothing was left.

"Hitomi-chan!" He cried out, pouting, "Why couldn't you just get some from over there?"

The girl laughed again and sat down, making sure that everything seemed like it was alright. That is, until Oshitari pointed out her facade.

"Last night took quite a toll on you." He said.

Hitomi tensed just the slightest, but reacted with a charming smile and a smart reply.

"I've handled things better, but I've also handled things worse. So if that was all you were worried about I'll go back to my other friends."

"Che, super lame. And here we were actually trying to be nice to you." Shishido muttered.

Hitomi left with a roll of her eyes and a laugh, and if they hadn't known any better they would've assumed that Hitomi was just sleepy. She was that good of an actress. Even when her friends pat her on the shoulder in question she acted like nothing was wrong, and if one looked closely (or had the eyesight of ore-sama himself) they would notice a pink spot beginning to form. Blood.

Atobe smirked ruefully, Hitomi was not one to show weakness. It was a quality that Atobe thought came from the strongest; a quality that he personally admired.

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><p><strong>Disclaimer: I do not own any charactersplot/etc., of the PoT manga/anime.**


	9. 08: Oh Churl! Dost Thou See Green?

"Act Five Scene Three again, when Juliet wakes!" The student director shouted to the actors on stage, "Ito-chan, is there anything you see that may need to be fixed?"

"The lighting is the major problem I have. Hopefully the lighting technicians come in soon, Sora's monologue just isn't the same without that color we want. And we all know Sora needs as much help as he can get."

The boy Hitomi named shook his fist at her, center stage, "Oi! You come down here and act!"

"Just joking, Sora-kun!" Hitomi laughed along with the others, "But I'm pretty certain Romeo never hated Juliet. Less dislike, you're an actor!"

"Yeah, yeah... How could anyone be more in love with _that_ chick?" Sora, who played Romeo, snickered with his friends while the girl who played Juliet glared from stage left.

Hitomi watched from the back of the house, or, in layman's terms, the audience, and rolled her eyes.

The current play was Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. It was first suggested that they do a fairy tale, but Hyotei's strict rules, and the complaints of some very conservative parents, didn't allow for any cross dressing roles, unless absolutely necessary. It meant that a mock Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty and Snow White were immediately out of the question when boys jokingly auditioned for the roles of the prince _and_ the princess.

This particular Shakespeare play was volunteered because one of Atobe's fangirls knew that "Atobe-sama's" favorite book was "that one book with the Shakespeare plays." Hitomi had immediately corrected the girl- The Complete Works of William Shakespeare. By that statement alone she deduced that Romeo and Juliet was probably the only Shakespeare the fangirl had ever heard of.

To be quite honest with herself, Shakespeare was a name Hitomi grew up with. His plays, and quite a few other playwrights, was all Hitomi had to distract her from her father, but keep her close to him all the same. When she was young, just starting to learn English, her father came back from a trip from England and had been given the Complete Works by a future business associate. Had he not one day thrown it across the living room Hitomi would have never picked it up. At first it took her ages to read, as she had to constantly translate and learn a new language, let alone it's older counterpart. Now she could recite the old English just as well as any Japanese story.

Despite her love for acting Hitomi never auditioned for Hyotei's plays, she rather liked being stage manager. If she were to act her father would have pulled her out of that activity immediately because of the costume fees and whatnot, and rehearsal schedules were packed in for the actors. As a stage manager, she only had to show up at certain times.

To suffice her passion Hitomi began looking for scripts and plays that she could read online, even going so far as to buy them with her own money at book stores or any stores that had a script. It was why she always carried a script around with her, because it was the one she had most recently bought. Though she loved plays, Hitomi loved reading movie transcripts even more. Which is more than enough reason as to why she hadn't auditioned for Hyotei's plays. With the help of Oshitari, Hitomi was able to contact a talent agency and audition as an upcoming actress. Most times Oshitari didn't just take her home, he took her to auditions.

"Romeo and Juliet. How...ordinary."

Hitomi looked behind her, and rolled her eyes. Atobe usually attended school plays (he mentioned to Jirou once that it was a way of showing school involvement), but to come to rehearsal was unheard of, let alone the fact that the tennis regulars accompanied him.

"You have an audition today." Oshitari reminded, "Atobe was going the same way, and he's dropping us off."

Hitomi took her eyes off of the scene onstage and to the boys in front of her. She never told anyone of her auditions, mainly because she had been better off not listing how many she had gone into. There was only one person that Hitomi bothered to tell anymore, and the blue haired tensai must have told the team. Atobe's haughty pose and Oshitari's unusually happy-yet-calm attitude could mean only one thing: this was all Oshitari's doing.

"I canceled the audition." She simply said.

Shishido crossed his arms and scoffed, "Che, quitting before you start? That's super lame."

"I didn't quit!" Hitomi glared. She didn't quit things, she had gone through some embarrassing auditions before -so embarrassing that she thought about quitting- but she pushed on anyway, "I found another role."

She had meant to tell Oshitari, but with the events of the previous week she had forgotten completely. She had gotten the role for a TV show that was premiering soon, and she was one of the lead roles. Those times after school when they thought she would be going to a Gladiator Tennis match was actually when she was filming.

"And I didn't quit." She insisted to Shishido.

God how she hated to be looked down upon for not doing something.

"Alright, alright, you didn't quit! Geesh you'd think I had killed your dog or something."

"Don't underestimate me." Hitomi huffed, "I worked too hard for anyone to criticize my work ethic."

"No matter, you can tell us about the role on the way home." Oshitari began picking her bag up for her.

"It's okay." She took her bag back and sat it down beside her, "Thank you for the offer, Atobe. I don't need a ride home."

"If you insist." Atobe turned around and walked off.

"That was... Not like him." Hitomi blinked.

Had she been too rude? Was it possible to be too rude to Atobe, and even then, when was he ever offended?

"Is he okay?"

Oshitari had no idea, to be honest. Atobe had been acting odd as of late, but most assumed it was the anticipation of playing Seigaku soon, the results of Seigaku's recent winnings had garnered the attention of Atobe; and he'd been waiting a whole year to play against Tezuka Kunimitsu.

"We leave in two minutes if you're still coming."

"But I said-"

"If you can't find a ride just tell me, I'll have Atobe turn the limousine around."

He left Hitomi sitting in her seat, leaving her to wonder about the turn of conversation. And she realized then why Atobe had agreed to back down.

She excused herself for the day from her sensei and grabbed her bag, running to catch up with the tennis team.

There was usually some banter between her and Atobe, no matter the situation. A conversation turned debate turned argument, at the least. He saw her rejection to his invitation not as a rejection to him, but to herself. Hitomi could tell when she remembered how his smirk had faded into a line of contempt when he learned that she had called off the audition, followed by an air of indifference to gather up his previous smirk again. He was always known to be disinterested in those that showed disinterest.

'_The nerve of that boy, to think that I would actually be scared of getting rejected for a role- To think I was getting complacent just because I landed a huge role!_'

"Hey, wait up a minute!" She called, slowing down just a bit to begin changing her shoes, "I've got an audition to catch!"

They were just approaching the limousine when Hitomi caught up, and she smiled.

"I wouldn't want to quit, now would I?"

* * *

><p>Kamiko was comfortable in her new school, more comfortable than she'd been in a long time. St. Rudolph was a great place, and she had met one of her closest friends there, but it didn't feel as comfortable for her as Seigaku did. She felt especially at ease when she was with the Seigaku regulars, and even the non-regulars, as she and Inui decided that while he covered the regulars she would make sure the non-regulars wouldn't fall too far behind. Her eccentric nature helped her grow close to the already eccentric team, and in return the regulars had grown attached to their special trainer.<p>

Today's practice was going well, with Inui taking excessive data and Kamiko making sure each member was taken care of. In fact, Inui ended up pushing the regulars more than normal that day when Kamiko had suspiciously asked him to take the non-regular's data.

When asked about the situation, Inui's glasses glinted in the sun and he looked down at his notes to verify.

"Kamiko's pre-regular course training has gotten some of the members to advance so far that they've caught up completely to our old intensive regular's training. And, theoretically, in the short time span it took them to catch up, they could be formidable opponents in our next inter-rankings match. According to my data, some of them would even surpass us and take our spots as regulars."

"Saa, that's very interesting indeed, Inui." Fuji noted; he glanced back at the non-regular courts in thought, and saw Kamiko correcting forms and swings.

"In order for us to better prepare ourselves against Hyotei we have to push past our limits constantly. Which, thankfully, Kamiko has managed to make a harder job with each passing day."

"I can't tell if Inui as mad at Kami-chan for that or if he's grateful." Kikumaru whispered to Oishi.

Oishi worriedly wondered the same thing, "I don't think he's mad... I think."

Kamiko's head swiveled around, as if she had heard them. Her smile was met with the regular's own looks of acknowledgement before she turned back to her hard work.

"Inui couldn't be mad at Kami-chan," Kawamura said, "Kami-chan looks up to him as a fellow trainer, and she exchanged statistics for Inui to mull over."

"And by statistics I'm sure she meant those nasty drinks." Ryoma grimaced at a jug Inui had brought out.

Kaidoh backed away as it curdled and bubbled in front of him, Kikumaru shook and hid behind a worried Oishi, Kawamura stepped back as well as Tezuka, and Fuji, being Fuji, pushed Ryoma forward.

"Saa, time to taste test, ne?"

Ryoma gulped, "I think I have lots to work on..."

Luckily Ryoma managed to slip away, being called to the library for book duties. Fifteen minutes after he had left, and just as Inui was ready to start distributing the drink around, an unfamiliar voice piped in.

"So this is Seishun Gakuen? Doesn't look so bad to me."

Kamiko could only think of one word when seeing the boy's green eyes and his dark hair, _'Seaweed...?'_

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><p><strong><strong>Disclaimer: I do not own any charactersplot/etc., of the PoT manga/anime.****


	10. 09P: The Trouble in Rikkaidai

**A/N: It's the TENTH chapter (well nine if we don't count the prologue, but that's okay. This is the tenth upload of the story!)! This is a milestone (ish) to me. Gods be good (...that was a Game of Thrones reference. I'll stop now) Now, with fall arriving and winter coming (okay I promise I'll stop!) I suppose I'll have to keep up on this great streak of updating. ^.^ I hope everyone is enjoying the story and I'm sorry to be throwing yet another OC character at you (and this one's not even the last!).**

**Uhm... if anyone would like to tell me, is it better for cuss words to be said with an asterisk (ie: sh*t) or should I just write out the whole word because we all technically know what it means? I don't want to offend anyone reading and if it's uncomfortable for anyone I'd be happy to just do this- s*** or some variation of it.**

**Up to anyone at all, at this point?**

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><p>"Oi, oi, you ruined our practice, Jiko-chan."<p>

"Jiko?" Kirihara Akaya turned around, and saw that the girl who had called him 'trouble-chan' was no more than his age, _'Hey, she looks like that kid I bumped into just now.'_

"You caused a lot of trouble and now buchou-chan made everyone run 30 laps." She crossed her arms to add to her explanation.

Kirihara scoffed her accusations away, "Well I didn't mean it! That damn Tezuka just should've let me have a match with him."

"You would lose to buchou-chan, and it wouldn't be very pretty." The girl insisted, "I'm Echizen Kamiko! Call me Kami-chan!"

"Kamiko... heh, might as well. The name's Kirihara Akaya, Junior Ace of Rikkai Dai Fuzoku."

"Rikkai Dai Fuzoku?" Kamiko blinked blankly for a moment.

Kirihara smirked, closed his eyes and pshawed at the girl while standing to dust himself off. She must have heard about his school, his school where they were reigning champions, popular kids, well loved and just downright awesome at tennis. They were a rival school to Seigaku, after all. She must know.

"Oh! Emi-chan's school! I know that place!" Kamiko smiled in delight, she was happy she could remember.

Kirihara almost fell flat on his face once more. She didn't seem interested in the tennis of his school at all! Instead, she knew Emi. Wait a minute...

"You know Kobayashi-senpai?"

Kamiko nodded, "Yeah! Now let's go! I know _exactly_ who to talk to about you."

"Nani?!"

* * *

><p>The three demons stared after the first year who left the room in a huff.<p>

"The boy has challenged you, Sanada." A second year Yukimura Seiichi laughed lightly.

Sanada Genichirou opened the challenge scroll, "His writing is full of mistakes! Taronduro!"

A feminine laugh stopped all activity in the second year classroom, and Yukimura smiled. He knew that laugh well, having grown familiar with it all his life. Everyone had been looking to the rather popular tennis players, but an equally popular non-athlete had stolen their attention. It was hard for Kobayashi Emi, as she wasn't an athlete, to relate to her neighbor-since-childhood friend, Yukimura Seiichi; but, bit by bit, she managed and made her own circle of friends in The Group. A group known for having the top, most popular students who had the most influence upon the rest of the school.

"His determination is to be admired," She laughed, "Especially when it reminds me of a certain tennis player..."

Growing up with Yukimura meant understanding the harsh, strict determination of Sanada Genichirou. Kobayashi was used to it, she'd admired it for the longest time, and it seemed only two people knew.

She frowned when Yanagi Renji replied. He had calculated rather easily who she thought was compatible for her.

"You would admire something such as that."

She turned her back on his closed eyes, towards her own group of friends, and, as if that were everyone's cue, the whole classroom returned to their own activities.

A year later, and Kobayashi's affections still remained in the dark, yet everyone else's affections to her were out in plain view.

"Oi, hands off my girl." A familiar voice threatened behind her, a playful tone had been added for the sake of civility.

"I-I wasn't bugging her, Niou-san!"

_'Yes you were...'_ Koba thought, remembering just seconds ago how the boy in front of her refused to let go of her arm.

She blushed when Niou Masaharu's arm went over her shoulder.

"Let's go, Koba-chan."

She nodded quietly, and when they were out of reach Koba hit Niou on the shoulder and pushed him away.

"How could you tell him that?" She asked, "There'll be rumors tomorrow!"

"Puri~"

"Niou-kun!"

Niou smirked at Koba. That was as much of a scolding as she could possibly give, and both of them knew that. He shrugged, "You were late. Buchou and fuku-buchou are gonna be mad."

The two had gotten to the tennis courts in no time, and Yukimura and Sanada looked over to the two. Yukimura smiled. Sanada glared.

"Uh-oh..."

"Puri."

Koba stuck her tongue out at Niou's back as he continued to walk. She ran to catch up.

"Gomen'nasai!" She apologized. A hand went up to her lightened red-brown hair, scratching the back of her head in embarrassment, "There was a little misunderstanding in the halls."

"A misunderstanding of feelings is more like it."

"Niou-kun!" Koba glared behind her.

"That wasn't very nice, Niou-kun..." Yagyuu Hiroshi commented as he approached the conversation, "But it's also not nice to be keeping these kinds of things from us, Kobayashi-chan."

_'You just have to be a gentleman to both sides, Yagyuu-kun.'_ Koba thought, _'How nice...'_

"Back to practice!" Sanada ordered. He stepped away from the conversation to make sure the team was in order.

Yukimura chuckled in amusement, "So, Emi, who was it this time?"

She shook her head as her brown eyes went wide. To Kobayashi, Yukimura's real question was, _'Who should I torture this time?'_

"It's alright! He wasn't bugging me or anything! Maybe a little but he meant no harm!"

She was a horrible liar.

"Who's buggin' you this time, Kobayashi-senpai? I'll crush him!"

And then entered her favorite kouhai, Kirihara Akaya.

"It's nothing, Kirihara-kun." Koba shrugged, she looked at Yukimura and smiled, "How're you doing, Yukimura-kun?"

Yukimura nodded, "I'm feeling fine, thank you."

He hadn't been feeling well for the past few days, and it was unlike the Child of God to be in a less than healthy condition. Especially when he had fainted at the train station just two days ago (much to Koba's worry, as she wasn't present at the time). Koba and Sanada were cautious, and always checked on him when they could.

This wasn't any different, and Koba gave him a wary look that Yukimura just laughed at.

"Fine," She turned away to Kirihara, and smiled, "You better-"

"Buchou!" Kirihara yelled.

Koba's eyes widened as she felt Kirihara run past her, and she looked behind her immediately. The sight made her gasp, and she ran towards her friend immediately.

"Seiichi!" She yelled.

She had caught the attention of the rest of the team as soon as she yelled. It was an everyday occurrence for Kirihara to yell in shock at what his senpai-tachi said or did, but it was different with Kobayashi. In public, she refused to call anyone anything personal and informal, Yukimura Seiichi included. So when she yelled out his given name, with no honorifics (the tone of her voice suggested that it was urgent also), people began to worry.

"Seiichi!" She yelled desperately once more.

Her small body, compared to any other boy's, was surprisingly weaker than Yukimura's- as frail as his already was in his current condition. Yet she continued to try to push him up and refused to back down.

"Seiichi!" He wouldn't wake, and she looked at Kirihara, "Call for help!"

"Yukimura!" "Buchou!"

The team had yelled, running to her to help.

And of course, Marui Bunta's bubble gum popped, and the only appropriate time for him to cuss was now.

"Sh*t!"

* * *

><p>It was all a blur to Koba afterwards. Rushing Yukimura into the ambulance, running to the hospital and outrunning all vehicles while at it, yelling at nurses that she wanted to see her friend, pacing in the waiting room because she thought she could have at least helped a little bit more. All the while Rikkaidai tagged along behind her, knowing that if they spoke even one word Koba could turn on them and be just as scary as Sanada, or worse, Yukimura.<p>

Yet even the almighty demigod buchou couldn't evade the glare of his childhood friend.

"That's the third time this month!" She scolded, "When are you going to learn that-"

"It's the last time in a long while that this will happen." Yukimura gently replied, the underlying tone of indifference shocked Kobayashi more than his words.

That is, until she finally processed what he had said.

"Oh no..." She frowned, "Seiichi!"

The girl immediately rushed over to her best friend's side, forgoing all signs of anger and quickly crushing him in a bear hug to comfort him. Yukimura laughed somberly.

"I suppose it's a better arrangement- that way you don't have to worry about the next time I'll faint."

Koba laughed at his lame attempt to comfort her, "Yukimura Seiichi, if anything I'll be worried about how these nurses treat you. Not to mention, how Niou-kun would handle all of them."

Said trickster suddenly appeared back in the room, but not before leaving a lasting impression on a patient's now-blushing daughter.

"Piyo~"

"Arigato, minna. But if I'm to stay here I have to speak with Genichirou and Renji."

"Ok, ok. We'll leave you three to have a secret meeting." Koba teased, pushing out a pouting Kirihara.

"Aww, but buchou! That ain't fair! We all came to-"

Sanada's stern glare prompted Marui and Jackal to tackle Kirihara out of the room themselves.

"Come on, kid! Stop getting us in trouble!" "Akaya, be more careful with your words!"

Koba smiled at the Three Demons, "I'll see you tomorrow, Yukimura-kun. Don't give Sanada-kun and Yanagi-kun too much of a tough time. Ja ne."

She winked and closed the door behind her. Soon after, Yukimura's eyes relaxed just the slightest, and his smile faded to a thin line.

"Take care of her, you two," He requested somberly, "Take care of the team, at least until I'm back, ne?"

Sanada nodded, "Hai."

"Demo, Yukimura," Yanagi began to protest, "There are some preparations that need to be done since the outcome of this-"

"I'd rather not know anything until the tests come back, Renji. For now, let's play this event by ear."

"Hai." The two promptly left afterwards.

The automatic doors of the hospital closed behind them when Yanagi found it a decent time to speak to Sanada.

"Yukimura may not be able to play tennis for the rest of the year. The chance that he may have the disease I've researched on the internet is fairly high, I would-"

"Don't tell Em-... Do _not_ tell Kobayashi-chan. Don't tell the team either; they'll find out when Yukimura wants them to find out."

"The consequences of that route would mean that Kobayashi-chan will-"

"Don't. Yanagi, we are now responsible for upkeeping Rikkaidai's prized tennis club, as well as Kobayashi-chan. Nothing more, and nothing less, is expected of us. And that is exactly how we will handle this situation."

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><p><strong><strong>Disclaimer: I do not own any charactersplot/etc., of the PoT manga/anime.**  
><strong>


	11. 10: The Emperor's Admirer

**A/N: Hello everyone! Since no one answered back about the foul language, I'm going to go ahead and assume I have writer's freedom. ^.^**

**Please enjoy!**

* * *

><p>"Sometimes I worry about you." Hitomi rolled her eyes at Kobayashi.<p>

"Ito-chan, please, I can go to the match tonight!" Koba insisted.

Hitomi's eyes narrowed, "Once again, it's Hitomi. And no. You sit out and let Kamiko deal with this, alright? Besides, there's no way you'll be able to play around without everyone at your school hearing about it."

"Fine... When will we be in your region so I can start playing again?" Koba asked, she fixed her uniform skirt while looking around.

Everyone knew about Kobayashi, she was in The Group after all. Rikkaidai was known throughout their region as the best, and when it came to some of the best, the Three Demons weren't the only ones to come up on the list. Though only a few of her friends truly knew why Kobayashi was so well known. She was the top non-athletic student in the region, if not the nation. Of course she kept that well under wraps, disguising this by having tutoring sessions with the Three Demons. People automatically assumed that they were helping her, when, in reality, she was the one to be helping them. With how dedicated they were in tennis the young teenage boys could forget about subjects rather easily, save for Yanagi. Koba had helped them to balance school and sports. Being manager of the famous tennis team for three years in a row also helped put her fame as the top student on the back burner. So there it was, people had no idea how smart the girl was, simply because they thought she lived in the shadow of the top tennis team in the nation.

Koba was really a very private person, so of course she wanted to keep everyone from knowing she hung out with Ito Hitomi, Echizen Kamiko, and Demmer Lilian. Even Hitomi acknowledged that fact, so when Koba came in asking for a match when the match was in Koba's region, Hitomi knew something was wrong immediately.

"If I decide to go to the audition here then I'll give you an update as to what Sai's done since he and Kamiko have officially taken over my place. I don't think I'll be able to get here until late though, because we're practicing Act Five tomorrow for the school play. Just go to the boys' tennis practice and visit Yukimura afterwards!" Hitomi insisted with a smile, winking at her and walking away. Koba hesitated, looking back at the courts and debating whether or not she even wanted to approach the Rikkai team today.

Koba sighed, "I suppose it's time to go check on them."

"Why was Ito Hitomi of Hyotei Gakuen here?" A familiar voice asked into Kobayashi's ear.

She jumped away from Niou instantly, "Gah! Agh! Niou-kun! I told you to stop appearing out of nowhere!"

"Heh~? You're avoiding the question now. I wonder... Are you selling our secrets to give Hyotei an edge over us this year?"

"No! Wait... why do you even know her in the first place?"

"I thought anyone who interests that arrogant bastard over there would be interesting too." Niou shrugged when Koba asked. Before she could ask more on what he meant they both heard a familiar voice yelling for him.

"Niou: get to the courts! 13 laps! And don't even think about slacking off!"

It was Sanada.

Koba sighed in relief; Sanada understood privacy better than anyone. He wouldn't ask her any questions, and if he did, he wouldn't press the subject if she refused to speak.

"13 laps is a bit much, isn't it, Sanada-kun?"

Inside, Sanada agreed wholeheartedly. He didn't believe in assigning laps as punishment. It was a waste of the victim's time, and, more importantly, his time. He believed there were more effective ways of keeping the team in line whilst maintaining progress. But Niou was a troublesome one, if he was assigned to anything that was within two feet of others another chaotic mess would be ensured. And, if he were honest with himself, Sanada wanted to know why the two had been speaking alone outside the school gates.

"It's enough for him. He won't try to skip practice for another two days." Sanada replied.

Koba shook her head and looked up, "But he wasn't skipping practice! He was just wondering why-"

She stopped suddenly. Giving Sanada more suspicion than usual.

"Emi," Sanada said in a warning tone, "Do I need to inform Yukimura about this?"

"No... Niou-kun was just wondering why Ito-chan of Hyotei was here. I told him that we were just hanging out, then Niou-kun accused me of telling Hitomi- er...uh, _Ito_- chan Rikkai's secrets to give Hyotei the edge."

He nodded calmly, and she was relieved when no further questions were asked.

"Niou! You're on first year duty for the next week!" Sanada commanded when they reached the courts.

Koba's eyes widened. What was this fuku-buchou doing?!

"Sanada-kun! That's completely out of line. Niou-kun was just-"

"Kobayashi-san, I'll punish the team as I see fit. Niou deserves this and more because he knows better." Sanada walked away.

He left Koba completely confused.

Why was it that Sanada switched between names and honorifics? She understood that he called her by her given name when in a serious situation, but in the end it was always the same, formal Kobayashi-san. Just when she felt like she could make a personal connection with him Sanada Genichirou used the most formal of formalities to speak.

Niou smirked as he jogged around the courts in his fourth lap, "I hope I gave the two love birds some privacy~."

"Shut up, Niou-kun~" Koba replied with the same sing-songy voice that Niou teased her in. She couldn't help but roll her eyes, _'I need to talk to Yukimura.'_

"I'll head towards the hospital, Sanada-kun, Yanagi-kun." Koba told Sanada and Yanagi at one of their, very few, water breaks, "I forgot to drop off a girl's Get Well Soon gift yesterday."

The two gruffly nodded, and Koba smiled, leaving after she handed them fresh towels and cold water bottles. When she'd arrived at the hospital, she looked down at the parcel of a gift in her hands. Yukimura had plenty fans, Koba knew, and he was popular in national and international lands for his tennis. After he was diagnosed, the magazines and newspapers had a wild time. They filled out columns as if the Child of God was the only being on the planet. That had been a tough couple of weeks, even for the team. But the worst was when, after it all, people just turned their backs and left it as it was. Less people showed up at the hospital, less students and teachers, even tennis players that Yukimura had played with before rarely visited. They even resorted to using Koba as a messenger. She frowned, one of the things she understood about her best friend was that, if anything, he hated letting people down. And people slowly showing up less and less, well, Yukimura thought it was because he let his team down; and he hated that feeling.

His family, of course he hated to disappoint. But when it came to his tennis and his friends Yukimura refused to back down on anything. And he would plow through to reach his goals no matter what the cost. He was bitter about this whole 'thing', as he so dismissed it.

He even went to the trouble of throwing gifts and get well soon presents into the trash can. Koba knew he hated the presents, and at first allowed him to throw them away. But after Kamiko and Hitomi had seen the ordeal the Echizen insisted that Koba save them for later. So Koba did. She kept them in a black duffel bag stuffed in a closet in Yukimura's hospital room. There was plenty room there, and Yukimura didn't even give it a seconds thought.

She knocked on the closed door, "Yukimura-kun, are you there?"

No reply.

She knocked again, "Yukimura?"

Nothing. Koba knocked once more, this time her calling was more anxious.

"Seiichi?"

"Come in, Emi."

She sighed and opened the door, "You scare me whenever you do that!"

"We've been friends for quite a while now, I believe it's only appropriate for us to call each other by first names."

"Seiichi, you know how I feel about that." Koba scolded as she stuffed the present into the duffel bag, "And one of these days I'll make you open a present so you know how awkward I feel."

"I've lost the feeling in my legs."

Koba's eyes went wide, and she was glad her back was facing Yukimura, or else he would have seen the tears threatening to fall. Koba breathed in and out slowly- calmly -just like Hitomi had advised. The tears stayed back, and Koba turned to Yukimura with a small and sincere smile.

"Well then, Seiichi, that means I'm coming tomorrow to your physical therapy. Those nurses and doctors are too transfixed on your hair."

He chuckled at her lame attempt of a joke, "Why bother coming? You'll see me fall."

"We are Rikkaidai." Koba managed to say in her best impression of Sanada, "Tarondorou!"

Yukimura chuckled aloud when Koba began to giggle uncontrollably. She smiled, "What does transfixed mean?"

"Shouldn't you know?" Yukimura asked, "I'm sure that you were the one to use it just now."

"Yes, but it is English. You never know when you would need it. In fact, when you're playing tennis with all those players they won't know Japanese! You'll say 'Good game' in English after smothering them and defeating them. You would tell Roger Federer 'Thank you' after he congratulated you, in English, about your win against him in the Open!" Koba laid beside Yukimura on his bed, and she grinned just thinking of his success.

Tennis was Yukimura's life. It was his pride, his joy, his muse, his outlet and even his job. And that was all Koba could give him. She hadn't heard much about this disease, but Yanagi mentioned that he would lose feeling in his limbs. The doctors were still figuring out ways to cure him. Nothing seemed to work, and even Kirihara, one of the most determined, began to understand that hope was diminishing.

Koba made it her job to rekindle that hope, and she knew using tennis would be the best way.

"Hm." Yukimura nodded, it was his way of ending the topic at hand, and Koba understood that well as she sat up and began explaining what happened at the tennis practice.

"Sanada-kun was so harsh on Niou-kun, and he didn't bother to explain why. He just punished! Like the Emperor he lives up to be..."

"It's good to know that Genichirou is holding the team up well." Yukimura responded, Koba sat up and frowned. The look on Yukimura's face spoke volumes to her.

"Ne, ne, he may be the Emperor, but we still need the Child of God to lead. You're the only one keeping me sane when I'm with the team!"

"Emi, you shouldn't be so mean just because Genichirou isn't _transfixed_ on you."

"Ah~, so you _do_ know what it means!" Koba sat up and lightly slapped Yukimura's shoulder.

The tennis player took the mock blow and returned it with a true smile. Koba was, as of now, the only one who dared to joke with him anymore; even the only one, save for the doctor's, who touched him. In turn, Koba smiled back, eager to tell stories that would ease Yukimura's mind, even if just for a little while.

"Your Genichirou doesn't allow his mind to wander far from tennis. Today I heard him yell, 'Dating? Ridiculous!' after a girl had asked him."

Yukimura chuckled, "Did he now?"

"He did!" Koba nodded, "And Niou-kun often teases me and tries to get me alone with Sanada-kun. Sometimes he'll be there exactly when I'm about to leave, or when Sanada-kun needs to leave. Then all of a sudden Niou-kun pulls off a ridiculous stunt and it leaves us alone!"

"I don't think that's a bad thing at all." Yukimura appeased half heartedly.

Koba frowned, "When he isn't interested, then it is a bad thing. I don't want to be unwanted."

"But he wants you." Yukimura laughed lightly when he saw Koba's cheeks turn a bright shade of red, "Not in the way you would want him to, but Genichirou is slow about these things. Give him time."

"One would think that two years is enough time."

"If I recall correctly, the more accurate number would be six." Yukimura pointed out.

Koba blushed furiously, feeling her body burn up at the mere mention of her longstanding crush.

"Urusai!" She whined, causing Yukimura to laugh at her. Though Koba was irked at being the object of ridicule, she was happy that she could keep her best friend smiling for hours on end.

The knock on the door stopped the two's laughter.

_'There's a phrase for this,'_ Koba blushed again when the door opened, _'Speak of the devil and the devil shall come.'_

Sanada nodded his greeting out sternly, "Yukimura. Kobayashi-san."

"O-ohayou, Sanada-kun." Koba nodded back; she checked the time.

It had been hours since she'd arrived.

"Ah! I'll miss the train home if I don't leave now!" She stood up from the bed then bowed to her two friends, "Good night!"

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer: I do not own any charactersplot/etc., of the PoT manga/anime.**


	12. 11: Abilities Revealed! Jiko vs Kamiko

"Emi-chan, Emi-chan!"

"Ow! Let go of me already! This hurts like hell!"

All of Rikkai's players turned to the intrusion. One, because no one went to the courts to disturb anyone- even Koba; and two, because was that Kirihara's voice they just heard?

Soon enough a grinning Echizen Kamiko came into view, holding onto a wavy lock from Kirihara's head. The baby of Rikkaidai desperately tried his best to pull his hair away from the girl.

"Let go, let go, let go-whoaah!"

Kamiko released Kirihara once she spotted her friend, causing the seaweed haired boy to tumble down the steps and onto the court, "Emi-chan!"

"Echizen-chan?" Emi was curious, and heard Marui and Niou snicker at Kirihara's place on the ground.

"Ow..."

"Jiko-chan demanded buchou-chan for a match and buchou-chan said no so Jiko-chan showed off while he was leaving and it hit Mamu-nii by accident and everyone tripped on the other balls that Jiko-chan made fall when he mistakenly swung too early and Jiko-chan tried to slip away but I caught him and now Seigaku-minna-chan is doing laps while buchou-chan composes himself and the first years clean up because Jiko-chan needs to control his elbow and his swing as he swings backwards."

Wow. Koba tried very hard not to laugh when the news had shocked the regulars. Especially Sanada.

"...who the hell do you hang out with, Kobayashi?" Marui was the first to speak, his bubblegum had popped out of pure confusion.

"Ohayou!" Kamiko waved at Marui. She turned back to Koba and grinned, "So can I? Can I can I can I?"

"Jiko... You mean Kirihara-kun? And... Buchou to you would be Tezuka-kun!" Koba figured out Kamiko's long sentence soon enough, and Koba took Kirihara by the collar of his shirt when she saw the boy trying to leave, "What were you doing?!"

"Ack! Kobayashi-senpai I just asked for a match, that's all!"

"And caused trouble." Koba and Kirihara froze in their spots, as did everyone else. No one wanted to make any sudden movements, not when Sanada sounded so angry.

Due to Yanagi's prediction Niou moved Koba out of Sanada's line of sight- "Puri." -while Yagyuu guided Kamiko the same direction, "Over there would be safest."

"You've placed shame on our courts, Akaya! To our school as well!" The vice captain raised his arm to smack the younger player upside the head, but was stopped when Koba had a better idea to make both the troublemaker and Kamiko shut up.

"Sanada-kun!" Koba interrupted.

Sanada's hand stopped inches before he made contact, and Kirihara felt relieved.

"Thank God." Kirihara let out a deep breath.

"We owe Echizen-chan because her school was put into mild chaos due to Kirihara-kun. She wants to play a set with him."

"Kobayashi, we don't let anyone play unofficial matches without buchou's consent!" Jackal reasoned, "And besides, if we let them play then Akaya might use... Well it could end up bad!"

"I want to see how Jiko-chan plays and compare it to buchou-chan. Jiko-chan was the one so interested in playing against buchou-chan, I might as well tell Jiko-chan how he'd fare."

"How can you compare them if you haven't even played?" Marui asked, "That'd be pointless unless you're Yanagi over here." The redhead jabbed his thumb towards Yanagi, who was going through variables in his head.

After all, who was this girl?

"Buchou-chan and I were able to play a set. That's why buchou-chan agreed to let me help Seigaku!" Kamiko explained.

Niou's brow rose, "Isn't that just taking our information so your team can win?"

"Niou!" Koba was quick to scold.

"I promise I can keep Jiko-chan's information to your school and your school only," Kamiko insisted, "Emi-chan can vouch for me!"

"Vouch? Echizen-chan I don't think-"

"If Jiko-chan is good, maybe he'll last long enough for me to actually help."

"You think you can beat me?" Kirihara snorted, "Yeah right! I'm not gonna lose to a girl!"

"Sanada-kun, what do you think?" Koba finally turned to the one who's opinion mattered most.

Sanada crossed his arms, and nodded once, "I'll allow this. Only because Akaya has managed to dishonor Rikkai's name in another school. After this set I expect more than 100 laps and 200 sets of swings from you, Akaya!"

"H-hai, Fuku-buchou!" Kirihara felt like he should salute before he ran over to his spot on the court.

"Arigato, Fuku-buchou-chan!" Kamiko giggled while she went to the opposite side of the court. Rikkai was shell shocked at how she'd just addressed the Emperor of Rikkaidai, "You serve first, Jiko-chan, you started it after all."

"My name is Kirihara Akaya!" The boy frustratingly replied. She kept calling him trouble, but that wasn't his name!

Once Kirihara served Kamiko pouted, and caught the power ball with her hand, tossing it back to the stunned second year immediately.

"Jiko-chan," She scolded, "That's not enough to go against Buchou-chan! Try harder!"

"Oh she's askin' for it." Kirihara grit his teeth and served with more power, rallying furiously with the girl that now smiled.

"Good! Now we can start getting somewhere!"

"Kirihara-kun," Koba yelled from the spectator's spot, "Echizen-chan is known around Tokyo to be on par with the captains of Hyotei and Seigaku, don't think you're going easy on her!"

"Even that arrogant prick played this chick?" Marui asked.

Koba refrained from nodding, "Atobe-san is arrogant, but he acknowledges good tennis players. Echizen-chan has played in front of him, and even gauged Atobe-san's own playing style."

Kamiko made her way to the net, and volleyed her drop shot with a backhand, aiming at the corner nearest her. Kirihara wasn't able to get the ball and Kamiko pouted.

"Jiko-chan, you're not serious about this, are you?" Kamiko asked, "Buchou-chan was able to get that, and even King-chan."

"King-chan?" Yagyuu asked, he wasn't sure who that was.

Niou scoffed, "Che. Don't tell me that's her nickname for that guy."

"Atobe-kun doesn't mind the nickname at all. Though he was irked that Echizen-chan was able to maneuver her way out of his strategies for a while. Ito-chan mentioned that Echizen-chan's specialty was to improve her opponents during the match."

"-And if you wore less weights under those sweatbands and more on your ankles you could probably get more speed!"

"Echizen-chan, it's getting late, and they still have a practice. Can we finish up, please?" Koba asked.

Kamiko frowned, "Heh?! But, but Jiko-chan and I just started!"

"For the last time my name is Kirihara! Would you quit calling me trouble?!"

"If we had a longer match maybe you'd actually be trouble on the court instead of causing trouble around the court, _Jiko_-_chan_!"

"Argh!" Kirihara was frustrated at the girl, "Are you calling me weak?!"

"I'm saying buchou-chan was right not to waste his time on you. You're hot tempered and that gets you to be weak which affects your mental abilities on the court that affects the technique of your style which causes an effect of lack of speed and accuracy! You're downgrading your own techniques and I can't help because Emi-chan wants to cut it short!"

"..._help_?!" Kirihara thought they were having a match! She was an opponent on the court, wasn't she?!

"Echizen-chan, you train Seigaku, not Rikkaidai. Keep within your own boundaries."

"Hai, hai, wakatteru. Sada-chan already said that I couldn't be biased when I played other schools, and it's not right if I give out information from Rikkai-chan or Hyotei-chan. Don't worry! Stay focused, Jiko-chan. Not on your opponent, but on the game! Maybe that'll help!"

Kamiko advised happily as she handed over her racquet to Koba, she had borrowed it after all.

"So, Rikkai-chan is powerful. I think that's fun!" Kamiko grinned, Koba sighed.

"You think anything troublesome is fun."

"But if it weren't troublesome wouldn't that mean nothing interesting happens...?"

Niou chuckled, "I'm beginning to like the little Seishun chick."

"Kamiko-chan, not Seishun chick-chan." Kamiko pointed to herself as she shook her head at Niou's name for her.

Kobayashi quickly introduced the team before Kamiko began asking questions or spewing out random information, but Koba soon found herself frowning at the statement Kamiko made.

"Emi-chan didn't tell me you taught her tennis! I thought she learned by herself!" Kamiko said, looking up at Sanada, "Are you her doubles partner, Fuku-buchou-chan?"

"Eh?!"

"Kamiko!" Koba pulled the girl to stand behind her, and Koba began backing away from the curious stares of her friend's, "She's mistaken. I don't play tennis... Look! The other members of the club are slowing down! I'll go check on them!"

Kamiko's eyebrows furrowed together in confusion, and she pouted, "Yuki-chan thinks you play good tennis too, Emi-chan. Don't be ashamed!" She called after the girl who had run away. Kamiko shrugged, "Ah well! Anyway, Rikkai-chan, it was fun! Seishun-chan will see you in the tournament. I can promise you that!"

Kamiko grinned happily as she skipped towards the bus stop, and when she was out of earshot Kirihara grumbled.

"Man, what is with that chick?!" He asked his senpai.

"We don't know. _You're_ the one who was screwing around in Seishun and got your butt handed back to you." Marui retorted.

"Hey!"

Jackal shook his head, "It's not like it's not true, Akaya. Why weren't you being more responsible?"

"But-"

"And respect obviously went out the window when you ruined their practice." Yagyuu added, not too gentlemanly at all.

"Seishun could be a force to reckon with, if she is who's helping them." Yanagi said to Sanada. They overlooked the group not too far away.

Sanada's face was stern, "Rikkaidai is strong enough to defeat them."

Yanagi knew that if he continued the conversation Sanada would just repeat himself. The vice captain was firm in his beliefs, and although he was so open about how powerful Rikkaidai is, he was very narrow minded when an obstacle came to view. To Sanada, he would crash into them head on till he got his way. It was the Emperor's Empirical Stance, as Yanagi had playfully named it. Unfortunately, that's not all the ways of tennis, and Yanagi was surprisingly uncomfortable with Kamiko.

A trainer of Seishun that immediately saw Kirihara's biggest problems on the courts within one rally, and not even a whole game had been played? And, though her first explanation was long winded, it did reveal that she knew exactly what Kirihara was trying to do when he tried showing off, and that in turn revealed that her eyes caught movements and certain forms that could be detrimental to an opponent. She could manipulate the games if she were playing, and make sure that the weaknesses of her opponents never became strengths- she could make sure that her opponent's strengths wouldn't even be revealed.

Moreover, she could train Seishun to counter anything that came their way. Adversity was often the most troublesome thing to an enemy, and Yanagi did not want it to be what undermined Rikkaidai's championship.

"Wait forget about me, Kami-chan made it clear that Kobayashi-senpai played tennis with her! She even called buchou _Yuki-chan_!" Kirihara was trying to free himself from his senpai-tachi's scoldings, and even Niou's teasing.

"Don't try to change the subject, kid!" Marui jumped and slammed his hand down ontop of Kirihara's head, "You're senpai-tachi aren't dumb; I'm a genius!"

Kirihara groaned, "Not that again, Marui-senpai, that's annoying!"

"Akaya!"

And Kirihara sighed in exasperation; he didn't need Yanagi-senpai to tell him about the length of the oncoming lecture. It was just going to be a bore.

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer: I do not own any charactersplot/etc., of the PoT manga/anime.**


	13. 12: The Day to Day of Hitomi and Hyotei

**A/N: Sorry for the lack of updates last week; I've been busy with school and work. Plus, I've gone through a small writer's block phase for Emi and Kamiko. It seems like anything I write with those two gets so... whacked out. For now. I'm working on it though, promise!**

**Also, I changed the title from Broken Royals to Broken Royalty. I hope that's not too confusing for anyone, but I have my reasons for the name change. ;)**

**Please enjoy!**

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><p>"That's a stupid thing to say!" Hitomi insisted.<p>

Jirou pouted at the disdain she showed, "But all Atobe said-"

"Forget what that pompous captain told you and use your head, Jirou!" She insisted, "Why would I ever recite the whole play in English?! Let alone recite it in front of the whole school?"

Somehow a rumor had gotten out that Hitomi could recite all of Shakespeare's plays in fluent English, and that she had confessed to Atobe in the foreign language in an attempt to impress him.

"But all he said was..."

Jirou soon dispelled those thoughts with the truth: Atobe had only mentioned that Romeo and Juliet was better acted out in it's original language, and he had also said that (with his superior Insight and the aid of the students records) Hitomi could probably act out the whole thing herself.

Hitomi asked Jirou why Atobe, of all people, would say such a thing about her (she honestly could not believe that he'd say something remotely nice about her without there being a catch- backhanded compliments were always given when they spoke). Jirou replied that Atobe had seen her yesterday whispering the English translations, absentmindedly, while the scene played out, right before they had asked if she needed a ride.

"But you _can_ speak English, right?"

'_No one ever really listens to Atobe's words, they're just impressed by how much he can own a crowd. He's charmed them all..._' She noted with a sigh. Time and time again most people would be so enamored with the King that they only ever learned the gist of the real situation- always needing a shepherd to guide them to the truth while they made up stories to claim they'd heard him. Well, at least it meant she didn't need to prove that she knew English by quoting Shakespeare.

"Yes, Jirou, I can speak English."

"So you and Atobe can speak whole conversations just like that and we wouldn't really know what you two were saying!" Jirou said, "That's so cool!"

And for once Hitomi didn't try to fight it; because yes, she could speak English, and yes, it was cool. The fact that she and Atobe could speak English fluently didn't make her any less proud. In fact, it made her just a little bit prouder.

* * *

><p>"Yuushi, what have you <em>done<em>?" Hitomi seethed.

Oshitari fixed his glasses. Knowing the thickness of the script, he would have to conclude that the red mark on his cheek would die down in a couple hours. He also knew that Hitomi only used his first name when she was completely serious. He figured he should be serious also.

"I simply ask for your cooperation, and let me explain."

"Alright. What is _he_ doing here?"

She meant Atobe, and Atobe closed his eyes to calm himself down. Even the King himself didn't know what he was doing there.

Maybe it was the fact that Oshitari had asked for a favor, and, as Atobe put it, _ore-sama was a generous person_. After the match with Otagaki and the ever-memorable encounter with Kenji and Otto, Oshitari was discomforted at the thought of Hitomi going back home for fear of being stalked and taken advantage of while she was alone. At least, that had been the blue haired tensai's reasoning to the captain. Atobe could sense that it was something far more horrifying than that. Even Hitomi struggled to keep herself uplifted for the past few days, and Oshitari's tennis play had dwindled down to him barely beating Taki. That and Oshitari glanced far too often at Hitomi, who quietly stared at her scripts and barely spoke unless spoken to.

The worry seemed to be eating at Oshitari because, as smart as the tensai was, it didn't mean that he could keep an eye on Hitomi 24/7; Sai would kill Oshitari if Hitomi was hurt even a little bit outside of the norm. The time with Kenji was just too close of a call to let anything else happen.

"If you could just stay at Atobe's house for a few days," Oshitari began, "Then it would-"

He never got to finish as Hitomi began walking away.

"I don't know what Oshitari has told you, Atobe, but I'm sorry for wasting your time."

And then, as Oshitari always knew, his captain did the unexpected.

"Ore-sama would love to give you a special invitation to his home."

Hitomi scoffed. Atobe loved to defy situations, and Hitomi decided she wouldn't let him have that satisfaction, "And I would _love_ to deny it."

And she refused wholeheartedly and stubbornly.

Every time after that, when the subject came up, Hitomi would refuse to listen, like the obstinate girl she was. Atobe saw through the facade easily. He saw how much she struggled with herself when the topic arose, and had seen how she faithfully kept her cool when denying his 'special invitation.'

But the King knows all, even if he doesn't know what's going on specifically. And he could see what she really wanted, even if he didn't know why she stopped herself from accepting it.

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><p>"Honestly, Atobe, if you ask anymore times I think she'll smack you. And that's in front of your petty fan club." Shishido said.<p>

Gakuto began to snicker, "Doesn't stop him at all."

"Ah~n?" Atobe drawled in mock realization, "I don't suppose your hostility has anything to do with a certain purple haired girl switching fan clubs, heh?"

Anyone outside of the tennis circle would think that Atobe was graciously defending his fan club. But the regulars knew, as much as Atobe adored people fawning over him time and time again, stalking was a whole new level the Ice King wasn't comfortable with. Especially if it was too distracting.

And besides, Atobe was talking about how bad Shishido and Ootori's combination had been ever since this mysterious purple haired girl had talked to Ootori without even acknowledging Shishido.

"Shut your trap." Shishido sneered.

Ootori fiddled with his fork, wishing silently that Shishido would calm down.

Oshitari fixed his glasses as he spot the next students to enter the cafeteria. One of them was hidden in the center of the large group, but whenever she did show herself to any outsider she made sure to never look at the tennis team.

Oshitari stood up from his place, "I'll ask her once more."

The table fell silent while watching Oshitari walk over to Hitomi and begin to reason with her.

"A hundred yen says that Yuushi gets smacked by the script." Gakuto smirked when seeing Hitomi frown.

Ootori gaped at his senpai, "Gakuto-san! That's-"

"That's a given; be more specific. I'll bet a hundred and fifty yen that it'll be the right cheek." Shishido smirked as well.

"Deal."

Before Ootori could fully express his horror a voice piped up beside him.

"Senpai, you're wrong. I can perform gekokyujo and say that this time, Oshitari-senpai will be slapped, bare handed, on the left cheek."

"Hiyoshi-kun!"

Ootori would have fainted if he weren't so anxious to see what would happen next; Ootori knew Hitomi-senpai well enough to make his own assumption- a barehanded slap coming from both angles, if Hitomi moved fast enough. He decided not to place a bet, it would be rude, and if Hitomi found out he didn't want to be punished.

Hitomi had pushed her friends to go on without her as she talked to the Osakan. Her fake smile soon threatened to turn downwards, and soon enough actually did. She narrowed her eyes, said something, and the next thing everyone knew Oshitari had a red spot on his left cheek.

It was safe to say that Hiyoshi had clearly won that bet, earning himself 300 yen from Shishido and Gakuto.

"Ore-sama will take matters into his own hands." Atobe proclaimed.

He continued on with lunch as if his tensai friend hadn't been slapped in the face because Hitomi was avoiding them.

* * *

><p>"Why does it even matter to you?" Hitomi asked.<p>

She was trying to walk out of the tennis area before she could fully weigh out the pros and cons, but was stopped by the King himself, at which point he proceeded to ask her, yet again, if she was going to yield.

"Ore-sama believes that your question isn't relevant to the topic at hand."

_'It's completely relevant and you're too much of a prick to tell the truth!'_

Hitomi didn't bother with the subject of her whereabouts any longer. Not when Atobe was concerned.

"That arrogant, no-good, prissy, handsome-devil, stupid, obnoxious, self-righteous, haughty tennis captain isn't worth my time! Him and his stupid money." Hitomi whispered to herself as she sat in her seat for morning classes to start.

"Who's good-looking?" Jirou yawned and stretched his arms.

Hitomi scoffed, "Good-looking?"

"Yeah," He yawned once more and blinked his eyes open, "Whoever you were talking about you said something about him being handsome. I didn't really... Catch-" _Yawn_, "-the rest.-" Yet another _yawn_, "But you never really talk about boys that...way."

He had fallen asleep just as soon as he'd awoken, never noticing the shades of pink that began to show on Hitomi's cheeks.

"Idiot King is the more appropriate term for what I called him." Hitomi muttered, she looked out the window and sighed.

* * *

><p>'<em>Stop. Asking.<em> _Me._' Hitomi thought ferociously in her mind, but of course, Atobe was no mind reader. If he were, he would show it off to the world; and if he were Hitomi would constantly have to think of distractions. It wasn't that she was obsessed with Atobe, but she did end up observing him more than a common bystander should.

Then again, was there such a thing as a common bystander when it came to Atobe? It was gawk, flock or fight him head on, never just normal standing around not caring. His presence demanded much more from people, Hitomi included. And that thought pissed her off.

She walked away from him while he was in mid sentence, only to turn back because of his words,

"Are you running away because ore-sama intimidates you?"

_Intimidate_? The two of them knew that it was the exact opposite. He was _**provoking**_ her. The question now was whether she would take the bait.

"About as intimidated as the cologne you wear. It seems to me that your cologne acts more of a repellant than a deodorant."

"A repellant to you, maybe. And that's exactly what it's intention might be." He countered without blinking.

Hitomi finally turned to face him again, "If you're willing to wear something that repulses me, then why keep inviting me back to your home so incessantly? Bored with your little toys?"

'_I knew Oshitari's favor would end up haunting me._' Atobe smirked to cover up his irritation, "Would you be willing to keep me entertained?"

From what he knew, Hitomi hadn't even dated, hadn't even kissed. But she knew an innuendo when she heard it, and as great an actor as she was, she couldn't act off the blush that had adorned her face.

"By the looks of it, you keep yourself pretty busy." She mentioned before leaving the room, and this time quickly so Atobe couldn't pull her in for another round of banter.

That last one was a bit of a low blow, considering the fact that Atobe was currently single. He'd never been in a serious relationship, but he was known to have a string of ladies at hand when time permitted. Hell, even Osaka knew how much of a ladykiller he was. As a rich boy with the athleticism of a pro and the taste of a god, no girl could complain when he chose them for a small little soirée (as he so smoothly named them). Recently though, he'd been single; not even bothering himself with a fling or playing around with girls since the tennis tournament began. Most assumed that it was because of how he wanted to propel Hyotei to Nationals, but only Atobe, himself, questioned why each girl seemed so plain all of a sudden.

Though his reason eluded him at the moment, Atobe was certain he would have the answer soon... But maybe after Nationals.

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><p><strong><strong>Disclaimer: I do not own any charactersplot/etc., of the PoT manga/anime.****


	14. 13: A Small Girl in a Big World

**A/N: I tried. I really did. Kamiko and Kobayashi just don't want to "talk" to me enough to make a full chapter out of them. Though I do love Hitomi, and I'm happy she's getting a bunch of character depth/story (as well as Hyotei, hopefully... well it's something I'm working on).**

* * *

><p>Hitomi hadn't meant to come off as rude, she had just been cranky; it was a rough night at home, one too many sentences spoken and another bottle emptied.<p>

_"You're the queen alright- queen of fools for thinking that you have a chance out in the real world. They'll eat you up like the pathetic girl you are; I know, I've taken too many women in my time, and I've seen your kind. You'll dwindle down to nothing in a matter of weeks- if you're lucky."_

_She argued with him, refusing to believe even one word of it, "You're wrong! I'll prove you wrong!"_

_"You're too small in the world of the big! Too quiet when you're trying to be loud! Too stupid and dumb! You're not enough for any world, and you're as helpless about it as the homeless out on the street! Get outta my sight before I show you what a king like me is capable of."_

"-you're too quiet, Suzuki-chan, I'll have to fail you if you don't speak up!" The teacher insisted.

Hitomi frowned. Suzuki was Hitomi's seat mate, a shy girl with long black hair and small black eyes with a small mouth. Quite frankly, it made sense for a girl to have such tiny features when it mimicked her personality. She never spoke to anyone about anything, not even for school; she didn't go out for any extracurriculars, and anyone who could spot her felt like they had spot a ghost. The poor girl could barely speak above whispers, her light and feathery footsteps spoke louder than her voice.

It was this characteristic that meant she would fail this project that she had worked so hard on, merely because she couldn't voice out what she had done.

"I can hear her."

Suzuki's small eyes turned as big as they could get (which wasn't very big at all), and everyone's heads turned towards Hitomi.

Luckily, Hitomi had skimmed through Suzuki's paper after politely asking what the girl had done. It was a paper on the biomechanics of the human body. Thanks to Oshitari's vast understanding of how the human body worked Hitomi could fill in what she couldn't remember.

"Suzuki-chan was talking about how the biomechanics of the human body affects a sports player. For example, the understanding of kinematics within a sport would ultimately help to prove how effective a certain skill is. Right, Suzuki-chan?"

Suzuki glanced at the teacher, knowing that Hitomi would get in trouble if she was wrong, but nodded meekly.

Hitomi smiled, trying to comfort the girl, "I could hear her, so she shouldn't get a failing grade."

"You can get in trouble for lying, Hitomi-chan." Her sensei warned, "Everyone in this room knows that you're lying."

It was a sad day for Jirou to be napping (the silence of the room when Suzuki spoke lulled him to sleep), because no one would agree with Hitomi. No one had wanted to help Suzuki get the A she deserved. It angered Hitomi immensely.

"How was I lying if I could say all that? The human body and it's biomechanical features aren't just lodged into my brain like common knowledge! I'd have to learn it from when Suzuki-chan said it, anyone with a brain could figure that out!"

"Hitomi!"

"I'm sorry, but it's not understandable for a student to fail because she was too quiet! Especially if it's a paper that was meant for high school level! It would be stupid to fail her!"

"Go to the principal's office, _now_!"

The silence in the room, and the way her classmates all glanced at each other, made Hitomi feel stupid. She had made herself the fool in all this, so what was the point in arguing any further? Hitomi walked down the halls and down the steps to the office of the principal, mentally slapping herself for coming off as rude. Being rude never helped, it was the charismatic and charming, the wily and sly that got away with what they wanted. Not the brutish and blunt tactic that Hitomi had so brashly used.

She situated herself on the bench placed just outside the hall, and just as she sat she could hear the bell for lunch ring.

'_Oh lovely, could this be any more embarrassing?_'

Hitomi quietly watched as students and teachers alike walked across, and she could hear the student's hushed conversations, spreading rumors about situations that weren't true.

"I think she called the teacher a bastard."

"I heard that she bad mouthed that quiet girl when she wouldn't speak up for her presentation!"

"Thank you..."

One whisper Hitomi picked up on had been directed to her, and Hitomi was surprised to see Suzuki standing at the end of the bench, hands shyly clasped together and head bowed down.

Hitomi could see the sincerity in her form, and though she could barely hear Suzuki, she could understand how grateful the girl was. The girl's mouth barely moved, and Hitomi had to pat the spot next to her on the bench.

"Suzuki-chan, please sit with me." Hitomi gave a friendly smile.

Suzuki didn't move, and instead looked at Hitomi with a fearful look, one that soon turned into curiosity.

"So we can talk more comfortably, right?"

The girl in front of Hitomi nodded quickly to cover up her embarrassment, and sat down.

Now Hitomi could hear her, albeit that she was straining her ears.

"I...wanted to say thank you. M-most times I feel... Embarrassed and-and dumb to present, and I wanted to...to thank you for saving my grade." The girl bowed politely once more.

Hitomi blinked, processing the girl's small speech (it was a speech for someone like Suzuki) and her gesture of respect. Hitomi laughed, "For someone so smart, you're very dumb, Suzuki-chan."

Suzuki was surprised. Maybe thanking one of the most popular girls in school was too much, maybe Suzuki should have just accepted that Hitomi was doing her a charity favor, maybe-

"I didn't mean it in a bad way at all, Suzuki-chan. I think you're absolutely brilliant, and that paper was written well above our grade level. For you to fail would have been something like a sin, for godsakes!"

"B-but Hitomi-san is brilliant too, right? You spoke about biomechanics like you knew it."

"I'd have to thank Oshitari for that knowledge. Oshitari was interested in how far Atobe's Insight could go, and I was unfortunate enough to have to listen to him ramble about how Atobe had a natural understanding of the mechanics of muscular movement and their functions to quickly adapt to his play style and weaken the opponent's..." The shy girl just nodded quietly, and Hitomi was oddly comfortable. With her other friends, silence meant that it was boring or awkward, "Could I tell you a secret, Suzuki-chan?"

Hitomi looked over to Suzuki, who was wide eyed and curious about the information. Suzuki nodded.

"To be honest with you, I'd have to thank Atobe. Without him I wouldn't have ever heard Oshitari speak the word biomechanics, let alone speak to Oshitari. I wouldn't have known a lot of things if Atobe hadn't been there."

"H-hai..."

"..."

Hitomi noticed Suzuki observing her, and Hitomi chuckled nervously, "Let's keep that a secret between us. Atobe doesn't need another reason for his head to grow bigger, ne?"

The girl blinked at her, and Hitomi saw the hesitation in her eyes. Suzuki meekly nodded before looking down, and Hitomi smiled.

"Good."

"Hitomi, come in." The principal's voice echoed out of his office.

Hitomi sighed, "Thanks for keeping me company, Suzuki-chan. You're a good friend."

She left Suzuki speechless. Never before had Suzuki been the one to initiate a conversation. Sometimes she didn't even reply to people. She never meant to be rude, but so many insecurities and observations and possibilities were running in her mind that the only thing that came out was... _nothing_. After a while, once the bell rang for the beginning of the next class, Suzuki looked at the principal's door, where she last saw Hitomi.

"Wa-wasn't I the one... who was saying thank you?"

* * *

><p>"Isn't that the girl that got you in trouble?"<p>

Hitomi looked to where her friends pointed, and saw Suzuki sitting at a table by herself for lunch one day. After the trip to the principal's office Hitomi had been given a failing grade on her own project, and was subject to writing an essay on proper manners and respect along with a week's banishment of theatre extra curriculars.

"She never talks, does she? Not even to say thanks, I bet..."

"I thought she was mute."

"Maybe she's just mentally... _unprepared_."

Hitomi turned to her friends in dismay and gave them a disapproving stare before rolling her eyes and scoffing in disgust. They weren't usually this vicious, but they just... were used to being a bit gossipy. Hitomi was well aware that she gossiped at times, but really, no one ever took the time to think of Suzuki, even when there were rumors that she cried in class to herself. If the world were like that to Hitomi, Hitomi would have never even found herself the courage to speak to anyone either.

"She's not mute, and she's not dumb if that's what you're saying. Suzuki-chan can speak and she's smarter than the lot of you."

She stood up from the table abruptly, and took an apple from her tray before walking off. While walking there she picked another apple from Sakurai, the one who had deemed Suzuki 'mentally unprepared,' and walked up to the lonely girl.

"H-Hitomi-chan!"

"Don't overreact to this, Hitomi-chan."

"We were just speculating!"

Hitomi stopped, and turned around to her supposed friends, "Speculating? I'm _overreacting_? So, because she doesn't speak, you have a right to talk about how mentally fit a person is?"

"She's the one who got you in trouble in the first place." Sakurai rolled her eyes.

Hitomi could tell that Sakurai was offended by the way Hitomi was acting, and Hitomi didn't hesitate to show off her own offense, "I got in trouble because _no one_ bothered trying to help someone who deserved better on what she worked hard for. And if I recall correctly _you_ didn't even help me. Someone who you thought was '_mentally unprepared_' was a better friend to me than you could ever be."

Hitomi turned away sharply and approached Suzuki's table with a smile, waving at her with the hand that carried the apples.

"Can I sit here?"

Suzuki was wide eyed, well, as wide eyed as she could get. She was never used to this much attention, as the occupants of the table Hitomi was previously sitting at stared at the two with snobby sneers. It didn't help that the table of onlookers began to grow to a cafeteria of onlookers. Suzuki wanted the attention gone immediately, and decided the best way to do that was to let Hitomi sit. Suzuki nodded, and Hitomi smiled.

"Thank you," Hiomi said, handing Suzuki the apple, "Here."

"Th-thanks."

Hitomi smiled at Suzuki, "No, thank _you_."

"Hitomi-chan~" Jirou entered the cafeteria and immediately took a seat next to Hitomi and whined, "Why didn't you wake me up when lunch started?"

"Don't be rude, Jirou! Say hi to Suzuki-chan!"

"Suzuki-chan..." Hitomi sighed while Jirou tried to remember who their classmate was, she even went so far as to having to turn his head towards the girl in front of them, and it was only then that he remembered, "Oh~ hello, Suzuki-chan."

"A...h-hello."

"Where's Atobe and them? Wait a minute why aren't you sitting over with your friends?" Jirou yawned.

Hitomi gestured to Suzuki, "I _am_ sitting with my friend. They're over there in the center."

"...Kay. Bye, Suzuki-chan, see ya, Hitomi."

Hitomi nodded and waved him off, and turned back to Suzuki with a smile.

"Don't worry, Jirou doesn't remember half the people in our class because he's always asleep. He's either sleeping, hyper, or trying to go to sleep."

Suzuki smiled at that, and Hitomi set her apple aside.

"So you do smile! See, I knew we would get along."

Suzuki nodded, this time happier than before, and Hitomi was excited to see the girl lift her head up with confidence. When Suzuki did look up though she quickly glanced back down and poked at her bento with her chopsticks, "T-the tennis regulars are looking at you... Maybe they need to talk?"

"Who?" Hitomi looked behind her, and rather than making contact with Atobe or Oshitari's eyes, she made eye contact with the one who now had less of a lunch because of Hitomi. Sakurai. She glared at Hitomi and Suzuki, and Hitomi responded by smiling, then biting into her apple and turning her back to the girl.

"Well then, some people can be very rude." Hitomi shrugged, a nagging feeling made her look back to see that her (ex) friend had gone away with the others, completely irked at Hitomi's actions. Hitomi frowned a bit, after all, they had still been her friends. They had accepted her into their group with ease, albeit because of Hitomi's close ties to the tennis team, and had never given her trouble. Though now, Hitomi would have to assume that they would.

"We're friends, right, Suzuki-chan?" Hitomi asked, still staring back at the empty space.

"Y-yes."

"Then let's make a pact." She turned around to face Suzuki and smiled, "No secrets, and we'll always have each others' backs, yeah?"

"Okay, I'll keep our promise." Suzuki seemed to like that idea a lot, and Hitomi was grateful.

"In that case, please take good care of me."

* * *

><p><strong><strong>Disclaimer: I do not own any charactersplot/etc., of the PoT manga/anime.****


	15. 14P: The Boston Tea Party

****A/N: I completely forgot to thank Yuka Hara for your review! I know that was a while ago, and I meant to reply ASAP. I just don't know how to reply to reviews on FF.N unless it's through an A/N in the story, so please forgive me for the late response. I'm glad you're liking the story, hope you're still enjoying it! :)****

* * *

><p>"Oshitari Yuushi, I swear if you touch me one more time I will personally see to it that your hair be dyed a sickening shade of green." Hitomi backed away from Oshitari and pulled her wrist from him.<p>

The bespectacled boy didn't even bother making a witty counter as he continued walking. His pace quickened, and Hitomi hurried slightly just in time to hear his advice.

"Follow quickly."

The girl complied, curious as to what could have gotten the Okinawan tensai so worked up. Could someone be in trouble?

A crowd formed around Hyotei's tennis courts. Usually, there was nothing special about that, but this time Hitomi could hear the cries of the teenagers.

"Fight! Fight!" "Ganbatte, Hyotei!" "The winner will be Hyotei!" "_Fight-o!_"

The crowd of students parted as soon as Oshitari came by, and Hitomi would've been swallowed up by the lot of them if she hadn't hurriedly run through.

She gasped as she got a clear view of the fight.

Shishido pushed a boy down. Once the fallen boy got up and fought back, Hitomi could easily recognize him.

"_Otto_." Hitomi's eyes narrowed.

"Come on, kid, take a swing at me. I dare ya!" Otto laughed.

Shishido's voice came out in a low growl, "Bastard, you have the gall to come back here and think you can just own the place?!"

"Ryo!"

Before Hitomi had known it, all eyes turned to her. Then she saw the others. The rest of the Hyotei team was surrounded by other high schoolers. A big burly boy, a boy with brown hair and glasses, a maniacal pyro she had met before, a boy standing on his hands, and a rather sympathetic looking boy.

The only one missing was Kenji.

They surrounded all of Hyotei's tennis club, and Hitomi noticed that a certain captain had gone missing as well.

"I told you not to hurt them!" Hitomi yelled, "I told you to stay away!"

"I grew up in a family that disobeyed rules." Otto smirked when he noticed her.

"I don't care about your family, you bastard! Stay away from _mine_!"

Suzuki saw from the crowd how Hitomi's eyes narrowed, "Hitomi-chan, wait!"

Hitomi ran down the stairs, ignoring Suzuki and running towards Shishido, not thinking twice as the big burly boy let her through. She held onto Shishido's arm and pulled him away from Otto, pleading desperately for him to turn away.

"Ryo," She looked up at him with worry, "Stop fighting!"

"They keep messing with you and-"

"_Don't fight for me._" She glared, pulling him again because he resisted, "Stop fighting!"

"It looks like it's time to reel in the catch."

Shishido noticed Hitomi's grip on his arm tighten, her nails had begun grasping through the shirt and to skin, and he looked over to where Kenji stood, alongside Atobe.

"Atobe-kun," Kenji crossed his arms as he smiled smugly at Hitomi, "I thank you for letting us use your courts."

"Letting them...?" Hitomi whispered to herself, she loosened her grip on Shishido's arm, stepping back- farther away from the two captains.

Atobe let this happen? She glared at the Hyotei King as well. Did he really hate her that much?

"This is low," Hitomi couldn't even be angry, because all she felt was disgust, "Even for you, Atobe."

Atobe ignored Hitomi and promptly threw a glare at Kenji, "Ore-sama has said this many times before: no outsiders are allowed on the court."

"Yea, yea, we'll get off your precious tennis courts once we get this chick over here to be a good, cooperative little girl." Otto disgustingly teased, he reached over to pet Hitomi's head.

Shishido stood in front of Hitomi, using himself to block Otto from her as he stood in a defensive stance. The black haired boy lowly punched Shishido in the stomach, kneed him, and punched him in the face, sending Shishido at least four feet away from where he'd been originally standing.

"Shishido!" "Shishido-san!"

"Ryo!" She ran over to his side. Hitomi had no idea what to do at the moment, everything was happening too fast and all she wanted was for it to stop. It's all she could think of.

"Come'ere." Otto grinned wildly at her, and Hitomi realized that he was approaching her- and quickly.

Her eyes widened in visible fear, and, for the first time in anyone's life, they saw Hitomi panic. They could see how vulnerable she was, because at the moment she couldn't gather up the strength to stand tall in front of Otto. Her dilated pupils remained fixed on the figure approaching her with such threatening motives, but all she could do was remember to stand in front of Shishido, because she didn't want him to get hurt again.

"N-no! Stop!" She cried, she saw Otto's arm pull back to strike her, and though it was against what her mind told her body to do, Hitomi instinctively closed her eyes and feared for the worst, not realizing that she was already flinching, "Just leave them alone!"

"Don't even touch her!"

Hitomi heard Shishido yell, the momentary distraction Shishido made gave her enough time to realize she could get away.

"Hitomi!"

Oshitari's voice was the most familiar to her, so she ran as fast as she could to him, her eyes shut tight so that tears wouldn't escape. Before she knew it an arm jut out in front of her and pulled her in. At first she struggled, eyes still closed in her panic and those nearest her could hear her slight whimpers of desperation begin to form as she weakly tried to fight off the one holding her. Any touching at all scared her.

"Hitomi..." She heard Oshitari repeat her name. The girl could even hear the shock in his voice, because, for as long as anyone could remember, they never once saw Hitomi cry; not unless she was acting. She finally relaxed long enough to bury her head into his chest, releasing the cries that she held in because of the crowd.

"I don't want anyone to see me cry... It hurts. _He_ hurts." She whispered desperately, her tone of voice begged and pleaded, "I don't want them hurt. Please don't let him hurt anyone because of me. Don't let him hurt them. _Make__ it stop._"

Her body shook violently as she cried, and her breathing was staggered so much that she felt her lungs were about to burst with the improper amount of oxygen. She felt the arms around her begin to support her, because she found her own legs too weak to stand. One held her by the waist, the other stabled her head against the chest she cried on.

"I'll say this once before I have every police officer in Tokyo looking for you: _get out of here_."

Hitomi took in one, large gasp, and she held her breath as every muscle in her body froze.

'_N-no... Ato-..._ _**Keigo** is standing up for me? He can't be! But...__?_'

Hitomi grasped the forearms of the arms supporting her, and as she turned her head she opened her eyes. And saw Oshitari standing next to her. Her eyes widened as she realized what was going on.

"You're not moving." A very terse Atobe spoke, she could feel his angry breath above her head.

Kenji gave a small snort of a scoff and began exiting the courts, "I can see you've got your hands suddenly full. We'll be going."

Hitomi was still in shock, unable to move as her brain slowly re-processed the events that had just happened. It wasn't until she heard her name that she let out the breath she'd been holding ever since she found out she was in Atobe's arms.

"Hitomi?" Oshitari's voice expressed concern, and he tried to comfort Hitomi by placing a hand on her shoulder.

Her hands bunched together reflexively around Atobe's arms and she gasped slightly, surprised by the sudden contact; the fear of being grasped was visible to both boys. Hitomi realized then that it was just Oshitari, so she eased up on her grip and stepped away from Atobe, ashamed to look up at him.

"Ah..." She paused, eyes intensively staring at the ground while she crossed her arms in a guarded fashion, "About what I said..."

"Ore-sama doesn't remember you saying anything." Atobe smoothly went along, understanding immediately of her discomfort.

Hitomi couldn't help but smile, despite the situation. '_There he goes with the ore-sama..._'

"Thank you, Keigo-kun."

* * *

><p>"Niichan!" Kamiko laughed delightedly as she ran up to Yuuta after Seigaku's tennis practice.<p>

After a long glance at the courts of Seishun, Yuuta turned to Kamiko and nodded, even going so far as to smile with the utmost sincerity when she grabbed his arm.

"I want to invite Seigaku-chan to my match tonight. You won't be so lonely then, niichan!"

Yuuta's smile disappeared, but he nodded all the same, "If you want them to watch something like that."

"It'll be great!" Kamiko exclaimed as she dragged him towards the courts, "And this way you and Fuji-chan can bond."

"No."

Kamiko almost fell back once Yuuta stopped, frozen in his tracks because of that one person. A person that he should have a strong bond with. She frowned, "Yuuta-nii, Fuji-chan is great! You two would get along more often if you just bonded."

"Kamiko, that's enough. I'm not spending any time with him!" Yuuta furiously pulled away.

It was loud enough for the Seigaku regulars to hear in the clubhouse. Oishi worriedly glanced at his friend, and Kikumaru tapped Fuji on the shoulder.

"Fujiko, Yuuta's just saying things," The redhead encouraged, "Watch, Kami-chan will make it all better!"

"Saa, well she doesn't have to go this far. Yuuta shouldn't be pushed into anything he doesn't want to." Fuji nodded, his ever complacent smile hiding his true emotions.

"If you don't come to my match then I'll... I'll..."

Yuuta smirked triumphantly. These were the few times when Kamiko being scatterbrained came in handy, "You can't think of anything cause you're always doing something stupid anyway."

"Mou, Yuuta-nii, I would forfeit my spot if you don't come."

"You wouldn't." Yuuta tried to call Kamiko out on her supposed bluff. She shrugged and smiled wide, "Forfeiting would mean you wouldn't play tennis for a year. At least in that circuit."

"There are plenty other matches to watch with Seigaku-chan. I just won't play! And when Mi-chan asks why I'll just say that Yuuta-nii wouldn't come watch."

"Kamiko!" Yuuta exclaimed. He didn't want to be the person at fault if Hitomi was involved. That girl already went through so much to retire, if she had to go back to Gladiator Tennis and find out Kamiko was distressed because of something as simple as that... well, Yuuta would need to leave the country, "That's not fair, I don't wanna go! They're not even my team!"

"But you promised you'd watch!"

Yuuta glared at her, "That was before you started inviting _teams_ to watch! When you had no one to go with!"

Yuuta could remember Hitomi's retiring match clearly; he had scrambled to get off the second floor, because Hitomi had decided to break the walls of both floors in the spirit of showing off to Hyotei.

"You're gonna break our promise?" Kamiko asked with a pout. A pout that she knew Yuuta would falter at. The younger Fuji avoided looking at her altogether, and opted to look at his own reflection in the clubhouse window. He was met with the opened eyes of his brother. Yuuta remembered then one of the most important things in his life.

_'I promise one day I'll defeat you, aniki!'_

_'Saa, I look forward to it,'_

"I'll go," Yuuta told Kamiko, his eyes never left that of his brother's, "I never break my promises."

* * *

><p>"Are you sure it's alright for us to be here, Kami-chan?" Oishi asked nervously as he walked through the warehouse of people.<p>

Kamiko nodded fervently, and smiled as encouragement, "Of course it is! You're with me, Oishi-chan!"

"They're only staring cause we're the youngest ones here." Yuuta informed logically, "Everyone is either high school or college level."

"Mi-chan and I are the only middle schoolers playing!"

"What kind of sport is this exactly...?" Kawamura evaded an injured high schooler, who's eye was bleeding and arm was broken. The deeper they walked into the warehouse palace, the more dangerous it started to look.

Yuuta rolled his eyes when Kamiko practically bounced around the warehouse, asking for updates, checking for injuries, replacing racquets and water bottles and whatnot, "Gladiator Tennis."

Kamiko, in between all the activities, separated from Seigaku and Yuuta. She was supposed to be meeting someone that the Fuji family would know, and she wanted to surprise the two brothers. That is, until Sai had brought Kamiko back to her friends and began ushering them out.

"Tonight's not the best night to be here," Sai said, nodding to the new middle schoolers, "Yo. I'm Sai. Pleasure to meet you."

"Sai-chan, what's happening?"

"Kenji's here. He just came from Hyotei with his whole team; and he freaked Hitomi out so much she cried." Sai whispered the last part to Kamiko; the two knew how prideful Hitomi could be about her own strength, and crying was a sign of weakness to the girl. Kamiko began to worry.

"Hyotei is involved?" Momo asked Kamiko, she didn't get a chance to reply before she and the regulars heard a familiar voice call out arrogantly.

"Mada mada dane, Kenji."

"_**Echizen!**_" "_Ryo-chan!_"

"Sh*t." Sai muttered as he realized he'd been ushering out only nine kids instead of ten. The shortest of them all had been the one with the biggest ego, and they found Ryoma standing in the middle of the arena, racquet in hand as he pointed at the brown haired boy in front of him.

"It's been a while since we've played, right?"

"We've had a lifetime's worth of matches. I'm done with you." Kenji chuckled, looking directly at Kamiko, "I just want her."

"Yeah well you're not getting near her!"

Yuuta stood in front of Kamiko, glaring at Kenji. Kenji smirked in response, and ignored Ryoma until the first year stood in front of Yuuta and the company of his teammates.

"Echizen, you shouldn't be playing!" Oishi yelled.

Ryoma didn't bother listening, and lifted up his hat to reveal a playful glare that was evident whenever he came across a worthy opponent.

"Excuse me, Ryoma-kun, I believe you're stepping into boundaries you have no control over."

"Lily-chan!"

Lily Demmer's ponytail of red violet hair swung over her shoulder as she turned to Kamiko, and she greeted the group with friendly hazel-green eyes and an even friendlier smile.

"Hallo, Kamiko."

"Ah great, _another girl_." Sai's friend mumbled.

"She could still kick your a**"

Kamiko frowned, looking back at the girl who crossed her arms, "Mi-chan!"

"Hitomi-san." Tezuka greeted.

Fuji chuckled, "Hello, Hitomi-chan."

The third years seemed to acknowledge each other easily, leaving their kouhai confused.

"She's from Hyotei!" Momo said.

"You've got quite the brains for a second year, don't you?" Hitomi shook her head, "I'm not here as a student there, and I'm not here as a rival to you. I'm here to see this through, because I'm done having Kenji and his crew mess with me and my schoolmates."

"Then why don't you come down here and fight for yourself?!" Otto called out from the other side.

"That's a bit rude, now isn't it." Lily's friendly smile soon turned sympathetic as she shook her head at Hitomi, "I'm sorry I have to step in."

"If Kamiko trusts you, then I do too." Hitomi replied.

"But Mi-chan, I didn't think Lily-chan would be playing! She hates tennis!" Kamiko actually grinned, "Ryo-chan, move! Lily-chan never plays, I want to see!"

"I dislike it; that's different." Lily replied for herself. She smiled slyly as she stood in front of Ryoma, "And while I dislike tennis, I hate people who abuse it for their own bullying purposes more. That's the only reason why I'm doing this."

"Please do. I have to go and convince a megane tensai that I don't need to be coddled." Hitomi nodded and walked into the crowd, headed towards the exit.

Kenji scoffed in disgust, "Tsk. It's a shame, I don't have any interests in playing a weak little brat or a disgruntled redhead who doesn't stop smiling. I only came to confront the small little girl hiding behind her new friends."

"I said you weren't getting-"

Yuuta stopped speaking when he and everyone else saw a tennis ball headed in his direction; and it would have hit Yuuta in the face if a steady hand hadn't caught it.

"You're quite rude for an American, aren't you?"

"F-Fuji-senpai..." Even Kaidoh had to back away; fearing the tone of voice that Fuji had used. It was threatening, and it provoked Kenji enough for him to be interested.

"So there's a reason why Kamiko is here, after all."

"If there's a reason, it's that she doesn't need to be hanging around people who use tennis to hurt people." Fuji replied, blue eyes showing a furiously protective expression. No one threatened his friends, nor did they threaten his brother, without him getting involved. That was a silent promise Fuji managed to make to himself, and he was intent on keeping that promise.

Otto stepped forward, stepping onto the concrete to jump onto the court, but he was stopped by Kenji.

"Give'em time. Knowing that Echizen, she hasn't given them the proper amount of attention for them to succeed."

"Oi! Stop insulting her!" Momo, Kaidoh, and Yuuta all looked at each other after they'd said the exact same thing; Kamiko wasn't sure who to calm down and who to stop. It seemed like the tension in the area knew no bounds.

"That's enough. If you're not here for a match, then you've no right to be here at all. There's more of us than you, anyhow." Lily made Sai bring Ryoma to his team, and she crossed her arms, "I suggest you stop interacting with Hitomi too. She's got nothing to do with this place anymore, and this place is the only way for you to get near Echizen Kamiko."

"Heh. Looks like we're teishu's about to boil some kocha for the shokyaku." The boy with glasses next to Otto smirked when he noticed Lily's smile falter for a second.

"Till next time, Kamiko." Kenji pocketed his hands and walked towards the opposite exit, with the company of his seven friends.

"Kamiko-chan," Lily was the first to speak after the eight Americans had left, "It's about time you explain to us what's going on."

* * *

><p><strong><strong>Disclaimer: I do not own any charactersplot/etc., of the PoT manga/anime.****


	16. 15: Explanations, Promises & Friendship

**A/N: I screwed up my timeline immensely. DX **

** If Lily's introduction felt rushed and out of place, it's just me trying to revise and try to get everything back on track. Also, I'm not sure if everyone will get the title's reference and the last few sentences of the last chapter. I was reading articles recently about Japanese tea ceremonies, and the _teishu_ serves the tea to the _shokyaku_. _Kocha_, while not served in tea ceremonies, is a tea that is literally translated to _'red tea'_ -a reference to Lily's red hair. He was literally saying that he was going to have to beat Lily and show that win off to Kamiko. And Boston... American high schoolers... tea party... yeah. **

** I love references/puns...**

* * *

><p>"E-eto..." Kamiko nervously repeatedly her two forefingers together, trying to figure out what to say to her friends because they were demanding for an explanation.<p>

The tension hadn't dwindled in the least bit.

Lily smiled triumphantly when she saw Kamiko ready to speak, "The Americans used to be yours and Ryoma-kun's friends, and?"

"Eh... There were a few complications back in America, and Kenji doesn't like it when he's not in control of my actions."

"Ne, Lily-senpai, it's best not to get involved with Kamiko's boyfriend problems."

Ryoma was more than peeved at having been pulled away from a match, and crossed his arms as he waited to leave, seeming to be no longer interested at the events unfolding. Not that he didn't know about them anyway.

"Boyfriend?!"

"Oi! You left that part out!" Yuuta angrily glared.

Kamiko shrugged in embarrassment, "I didn't know, Yuuta-nii! Kenji doesn't usually go this far!"

"He goes this far because it means not having his own Kami-Trainer." Ryoma said, shouldering his tennis bag when he noticed how his senpai were about to ask more questions. When he realized no one was following, he looked over his shoulder, "Ne, senpai, aren't we supposed to be in school tomorrow?"

"But, Echizen, isn't this something that you should be concerned with? Especially if it concerns Kami-chan?" Kawamura asked.

Kamiko sighed, "Ryo-chan knows better than anyone else that when Kenji leaves, we have time to breathe and figure it out. The more we worry, the better chance of Kenji beating us."

"Say, Hitomi-chan is from Hyotei, right? Doesn't that mean Seigaku plays them soon?" Lily turned around when she noticed that Ryoma was wearing the same blue and white jacket as the boys around her.

Kamiko gladly took the chance of distraction, and nodded vehemently, "Hai, Lily-chan! Are you going to come watch? Yuuta-nii and Fuji-chan would like it if you would!"

"Fujiko, you know Lily-san?" Kikumaru was surprised.

Lily was barely introduced to them all before each and every person had turned to Kamiko for explanation. Fuji chuckled.

"Lily-chan is a good friend of Tachibana's little sister, and before that we used to live in the same area when we were elementary students."

"She has a name, Syuusuke-kun," Lily smiled and nodded in agreement, "I'll see if I can attend the match, Kamiko-chan, but thank you for the invite."

"Hai! No problem, Lily-chan. I would ask Emi-chan to come... but I don't think she'd like me to visit again anytime soon."

"Kamiko, what did you do?!"

"Hehe... Gomen."

* * *

><p>"E...e-eto... I'm sorry... F-for disturbing you." Suzuki didn't know what to think as she bowed politely to the tennis regulars' table during their lunch period.<p>

"Suzuki-chan!" Jirou greeted with a wave as he ate his strawberry pocky, "Hitomi isn't here today, didn't you notice?"

Suzuki tried to refrain from looking too wide eyed when Jirou spoke to her with such a friendly tone, "That...it's kind of why... Ano..."

"Is something the matter?" Oshitari tried to figure out what was going on in Suzuki's mind, and watched carefully as Suzuki tried to word her sentences, as if she was trying to avoid how to tell them accurate information.

Oshitari was beginning to think the worst; after the incident with Kenji, Hitomi rarely showed up at school more than four times a week, having thrown herself completely into auditions and acting roles. And to Oshitari, having thrown herself into something a little bit more personal, but that was a thought for another time, he supposed, "Is she okay?"

Suzuki nodded uncomfortably.

"Hitomi was supposed to..."

"Speak up, for godsakes, woman speak!" Shishido was more than irritated at how he literally almost had to lean in to hear her.

Ootori pulled back his senpai's shoulder to try to calm him down, "Shishido-san!"

'_Don't let other people walk all over you cause you're too quiet, Suzuki! You're smart enough to be the boss of all of them._'

Suzuki remembered Hitomi's words. Had she been talking about how one day Suzuki would encounter people as brash as Shishido? Because if so, Suzuki understood how annoying it could be.

"I'm trying to say that Hitomi-chan needs help whether or not she accepts it because she's not thinking properly!" Suzuki snapped at him.

When she realized how she had acted she immediately covered her mouth.

"I'm sorry! I-I'm so sorry I...I didn't mean-"

"Che, you've definitely been hanging out with Hitomi enough if you're already standing up for yourself." Shishido crossed his arms and leaned back.

Suzuki clasped her hands together and brought them down, going back into her shy and calm nature, "Hitomi-chan is your friend, and she told me that friends should always take care of each other, no matter what. So please take care of my friend, even if she says she doesn't want it!"

"Suzuki-chan-"

"And she might not want to be my friend after I've told you to help her but it doesn't matter because if it helps Hitomi-chan then I can live with that!" Suzuki insisted, trying to push away all the awkward thoughts she was having about how this was so unlike her, "Because I'm her friend and if you are too then you'd make her be safe no matter what, right?! Hitomi-chan said that's what friends do, and- and I want to uphold her belief because she's been so good to me! And now I have to repay her by making sure she can be safe because she's not right now, not with those boys running after her and her own-"

"We'll be sure she's taken care of, neko-chan."

Suzuki's small eyes almost bulged out of her head, because she had never before spoken to Atobe, let alone have him speak to her personally. Atobe's friends around him were shocked as well when he had to add something else,

"It's a promise made by ore-sama himself so there's no need for you to worry."

"A-ano, h-hai..." Suzuki flushed red when she noticed Atobe's eyes on her, "A-arigato. I'll be going now."

* * *

><p>Koba was surprised when a hand slammed down on her desk during their lunch break.<p>

"Marui." Sanada warned from beside her.

"What? She's the one running away whenever we try to ask about what happened!" Marui defended himself.

Koba laughed nervously, "A..ano, there's really no need to overreact. I help Kamiko with her own matches, like a manager- like what I do here at Rikkaidai."

"She said you played tennis." Niou sat on her desk without a worry, and bit into his apple, "Even Yukimura said it when we visited him in the hospital."

"Seiichi..." Koba muttered under her breath with a huff. He loved to stir up trouble, even when he wasn't present.

"Koba-chan, can we talk to you about student council for a moment?" Her classmates asked.

Kobayashi quickly excused herself, and Marui turned over to his ever dutiful vice captain.

"Come on, Sanada, isn't it weird that Koba-chan is playing around in a circuit like that? She could get hurt!"

"If Yukimura knows about it then I'm sure she's fine. Get back to your own class." Sanada's last statement came out more like a command, and the two quickly left when they saw how serious he was. He was unusually stricter when he didn't want to talk about a particular subject, but it wasn't lost on Sanada's friends when that particular subject more often than not became Kobayashi.

"If you don't like what they're talking about, you could just say it, Sanada." Yukimura told his vice captain after school. Sanada had been meaning to visit, especially after the incident with Kamiko.

"A girl named Echizen brought Akaya to our courts. He tried to challenge Seigaku."

Yukimura chuckled, "She must have shocked all of you. I suppose her American ways are different than ours."

"She mentioned that Emi played tennis."

"Emi? Oh, Genichirou, are you getting closer to her?" Yukimura was so very smug at the moment, and Sanada remembered very quickly that his captain was closer to Kobayashi then any of them. Sanada concluded that that was what made Yukimura especially sassy today.

"I meant that she shouldn't be putting herself in danger."

"She's fine; leave her be. Emi is also a part of Rikkaidai, and that means being strong."

"But-"

"Sanada, I don't meant to be rude, but right now you have to understand that she doesn't want anyone from school concerned with this side of her. She's struggling to keep up with us, she says."

Keep up? Sanada wasn't aware that Koba was falling behind. She was a constant presence in their lives, and dependable to the point of relying on her with matters of the utmost importance in their lives; some secrets- and some not so secret -included.

"Koba feels that this is the only way for her to be truly appreciated."

"Appreciated? It's not enough for her to be recognized as a top student in the nation?" Sanada couldn't wrap his head around the fact that Koba could possibly be doing more than she was involved in already.

Yukimura chuckled, "If she did, I believe she would think it was very "taronduro" of her."

Yukimura could hear Sanada keep back a scoff of contempt, and let the gesture slide so as not to ruffle the vice captain's feathers too much.

"She's a fragile one, I'll admit. But this is what she wants, and I believe it's what she needs so she can become stronger. Kami-chan will help with that."

"Are we really trusting that girl with one of our own?" Sanada was wary of the Echizen as soon as the girl had stepped onto Rikkai's courts.

"Echizen Kamiko may be from a rival school, but she was from America first. Her role as an outsider is beneficial to the growth of Emi. Unfortunately, it could mean the growth of Seigaku as well."

"Rikkai will not lose, Yukimura. You know that."

"I also know that Kami-chan's cousin is playing for Seigaku. While she's the trainer, the boy is the true tennis player."

Sanada could see that Yukimura already trusted the girl; and if Yukimura could trust someone so easily then who was Sanada to disagree? But it didn't mean he liked it.

"We'll be prepared for anything; Hyotei will be dealing with Seigaku before we do." Sanada quickly changed the subject, "We'll be here in time to see you off, no matter the opponent. Akaya insists we be here when you wake up as well."

"That boy..." Yukimura chuckled, letting the conversation die then and there. It was night, after all. And Sanada realized this as well. He coughed, and backed away towards the door.

"Good night, Yukimura."

"Good night, Genichirou."

Yukimura's serene smile faded when the door closed, _'So he cares about her more than he would like to admit... Oh, Genichirou, you're quite the dunce for an Emperor after all. And a worthy opponent all the same.'_

* * *

><p><strong><strong>Disclaimer: I do not own any charactersplot/etc., of the PoT manga/anime.****


	17. 16: A Boring Day

**Sorry for the lack of updates, but school kicked my arse and I still haven't figured out how to fix this timeline! But Happy Holidays, Happy New Year, Kung Hey Fat Choi!**

* * *

><p>It was another boring day in school. Or at least, that's what Kamiko had deemed it out to be. The only fun thing to do during the day was her PE class and helping out the tennis team after school. Even matchmaking was getting terribly boring. Kamiko soon found out that Japanese students could be extremely shy- as the culture had shown -so the process was tedious. Occasionally, Kamiko found someone outgoing enough to want to follow through with the plans as quick as she'd liked, and those were fun. But those were also few.<p>

Few people could turn a boring day into fun at Seishun, and two hours into school Kamiko started laughing her butt off.

"Momo-nii you're getting milk everywhere!" Kamiko laughed, backing away from her close friend as the teacher began scolding and the whole class began 'ew-ing' at the boy.

"I said no more eating in class, Momoshiro-kun! That includes drinking too!"

"G-gomenasai, sensei!" Momo coughed. When the teacher turned away to tell a student to get napkins or towels Momo glared at Kamiko, "You knew I would laugh at that!" He hissed so the teacher wouldn't hear them.

Kamiko couldn't stop laughing, and nodded, "It came out your nose!"

"Kamiko!" He glared, "I'll get you back, Kyu Echizen, just you wait!"

"H-hai, Momo-n-nii, just try not to make a mess when you laugh about it!" And Kamiko burst into a fit of giggles once more.

"Why you little-"

"Echizen-chan is correct, Momoshiro-kun! Laughing in class is especially distracting to everyone around you!"

Kamiko's laughs came out harder when the teacher agreed with her. She couldn't believe her luck! And all Momo could do at the time was remain calm and try not to glare at Kamiko too harshly- or else the teacher might scold him again.

"Aren't you glad I'm such a good kouhai, senpai?" Momoshiro complained later in practice to his teammates, "Kyu Echizen is such a pain! She got me in trouble during class and I had to try to maintain my gentlemanly status!"

Kaidoh's hiss came out more like a scoff of disbelief and irritation, "You're about as gentlemanly as a rotten peach, fuzz head."

"Oi! Mamushi you-"

"Soka? And what did she do to cause such trouble?" Fuji chuckled as he intervened. He wanted to see how the situation would play out if the two second years refrained from fighting.

Kamiko grinned, "Momo-nii laughed and sneezed out his milk in the middle of Nara-sensei-chan's lecture of raising money for abused animals."

"Hahahah!" Kikumaru doubled over in laughter, understanding what had happened and who's fault it was when Momo glared at Kamiko, "Nara-sensei's a big meanie about those things too ever since his cat died! Oishi~ did you hear about Momo? He laughs at abused animals!"

"Heh?!" Oishi paled at the thought. How could someone be so heartless?

"N-no! Oishi-senpai, Kikumaru-senpai that's not right! That's not right at all!"

"Hou~? Momo-chan-senpai hates animals?" Ryoma looked up with a sly smirk.

"You're not helping, Echizen!"

"Fshu, only an idiot would dislike helpless animals." Kaidoh hissed out in disdain.

"Mamushi you prick! At least people don't run away from me because I'm ugly!"

"You sure about that, peach head?! Cause you're so-"

"Momo! Kaidoh!" Kawamura stood in the middle and looked around for help, wondering where Tezuka could be and why Oishi hadn't stepped in yet.

"Momoshiro," No. His voice couldn't be that threatening, Kamiko thought. Oishi was usually so sweet! When she looked, she could see the vice captain's usually sweet aura grow red and angry, "You will help raise money for those animals or so help me I will see to it that you volunteer for the local shelters!"

"H-hai! Oishi-senpai!"

"Hm... I suppose it's understandable that with his worrying nature he care for animals as well..." Inui muttered as he scribbled into his notebook.

Meanwhile Fuji looked around at the chaos of his team and observed them, and then looked down at the girl standing beside him. She had also found a comfortable spot on the sidelines to watch the events unfold, giggling at some parts and even laughing outright at others.

"Having fun, Kami-chan?" He asked.

Kamiko nodded before turning to look up at him, an ever troublesome gleam in her eye, "I really thought today was gonna be boring!" She smiled.

Boring? Fuji chuckled. Echizen Kamiko was anything but.

"You managed to make the most of it, I can see."

She nodded happily, "Wanna know a secret?"

Fuji was a bit surprised. People usually weren't so open to things, not in the way Kamiko was. He turned his attention around to focus mainly on her, leaning down a bit for her to whisper in his ear.

"Momo-nii has a tickle spot on his side that I found. Even if a tennis ball hits him there he'll start laughing and won't stop for awhile." Kamiko giggled to herself and backed away, "Isn't that funny, Fuji-chan?"

And here Fuji thought it might have been a personal secret. Nonetheless, he straightened his posture and chuckled alongside with her, grabbing a tennis ball beside him.

"Soka, why don't we see how ticklish it can be?" He tossed the ball up and used his racquet to hit it, letting it arch up a bit and fall down inside Momo's jacket, sliding down his side.

"Abused animals are hurt by monsters, and-"

"Hahahahaha!" Momo couldn't control himself when he felt the ball tickle his side. He cringed, knowing the consequences as Oishi started to scold him once more.

Kamiko started to laugh almost immediately, and as the event unfolded into another bout of chaos Fuji felt himself beginning to laugh as well. Something more of a chuckle, and it had been awhile since he'd done more than that.

"That was perfect!" Kamiko complimented.

"Arigato," Fuji's laugh began to die down, much to Kamiko's dismay. She never really heard Fuji laugh, but she's heard all the other regulars (save for Tezuka), "We make a good team of trouble."

"Mhm, Fuji-chan! If it ever gets boring I know exactly who to call now."

"And who would that be?" The tensai asked absentmindedly. Somehow Kikumaru began believing the joke, and was on the verge of some comical looking tears until Oishi stepped in and commanded laps from Momo for being heartless. The mother hen had such a way of protecting his best friend Fuji might have thought that they were da-

"You, Fuji-chan! You said we make a great team, let's _be_ a great team when either one of us is bored, ne?" Kamiko giggled.

Her statement and added giggle caught Fuji off guard once again, but he managed to cover that up with a complacent smile and chuckle. "I'll accept that offer, Kami-chan. Now then, shall we step back further for when Tezuka arrives? Something tells me laps will be in order for everyone who looks involved."


	18. 17: The Man Who Works Hard For His Money

Hitomi sat patiently on the bleachers, laying beside a sleeping Jirou while she buried her head in her script.

"What're you doing here at morning practice?" Gakuto leaned over the railing to ask.

She looked up, and tried hard not to yawn, "Jirou would've missed practice entirely if I didn't sleep over last night."

"You were over at his place? For the night?" Gakuto's eyes widened, "And your dad was okay with it?"

Hitomi laughed.

"What would Jirou do? Sleep on me?" She asked with a giggle; Gakuto pictured Jirou accidentally rolling onto Hitomi. Truth be told, she'd never stand for it, so his worry over her virtue lessened.

"I wouldn't put it past him." Oshitari came over and leaned against the railing during their break. The other night Hitomi had stayed overnight at his place, and now Jirou's? Something was definitely up, he thought, "We should be getting back to practice, Gakuto."

"Oh come on, Yuushi, we've been working our butts off and Atobe's not even here yet. Let's relax before his highness gets his royal rump to school."

Hitomi laughed again, and before Gakuto could crack another joke to make her laugh there was a rather irked and forceful cough that commanded their attention.

"My 'royal rump' says you should be getting back to practice rather than acting like a clown to entertain a bystander." Atobe crossed his arms from the top of the bleachers.

Hitomi hid half of her face with the movie script she held, hiding her wide smile (though they could tell by her eyes that she was), and watched as Gakuto gulped and scurried off to the court. Oshitari shook his head at his friend, and followed the scared redhead for a practice match against Shishido and Chotarou.

"Jirou," Hitomi poked the side of the narcoleptic and giggled, "Atobe's here for practice."

"Wha- our match! Atobe~!" Jirou jolted awake, sitting up in excitement quickly and waving his arms for a match with his captain. His erratic movements surprised Hitomi, and as a result she fell off the bleacher they were on, having been hit in the shoulder by Jirou's wild arms.

"Ow!"

"Jirou!" Shishido was the first to scold. The whole club had stopped their activities- it wasn't everyday that Jirou would be awake and hyperactive, let alone in the morning -and saw Hitomi land on her arm.

"Hitomi-senpai, are you okay?" Ootori asked in concern, it seemed like she had taken quite the fall, especially with how she reacted. Her face had contorted in pain, and she cradled her arm carefully after sitting up.

Jirou looked down from his spot, and his eyes widened, "Hitomi-chan! Gomen'ne, I didn't mean to hurt you!"

He helped her up, gripping her other arm to pull her to stand, but he stopped when Hitomi waved him away. He hadn't noticed that she had cringed in the process of doing so.

Shishido rolled his eyes, "Be more careful with yourself, Jirou. Geeze, how lame can you get?"

"I'm fine," She began to laugh, "Does sleeping that much make you that strong? It felt like Kabaji had bulldozed over me."

"Heheh, well..." Jirou's hands went behind his head sheepishly at the comment. He was always one for compliments, and loved it especially when his friends gave him one.

Oshitari noticed how she was turning the conversation away from her as Jirou spoke about how he and Kabaji had been having practice matches.

"Speaking of practice matches, I think you have one this morning." Hitomi laughed at Jirou, "Careful now, you wouldn't want to hurt the captain, now would ya?"

"Like I could even touch Atobe! He's too awesome at tennis." Jirou grinned, "But I can always try!"

"Good luck!" She nodded, laughing as Jirou grabbed his racquet and headed over to the court.

Hitomi turned her back to the courts, and faced the bleachers, where her script had fallen over during the debacle. Now that no one could see her she let her smile down, and couldn't help but hold her hand over her injured arm. She glanced over her shoulder, and saw that no one behind her was looking. She rolled the sleeve of her school blazer up slowly, careful not to touch the injury. Before she even got to her elbow there was a dark red band around her forearm, and some bruises splotched in random areas. She let out a soft sigh, and pulled her sleeve down to hide them once more; trying to see the injury now would be useless.

She closed her eyes, _'Not one of the best nights I've ever had.'_

"Oshitari, take her to the nurse."

Her eyes opened at the voice beside her. God she was so stupid! She forgot that Atobe still had to walk down the bleachers to get to the courts. He must have seen her!

"It's nothing, really." She laughed off.

"If my team is responsible for causing injuries we'll make sure to help take care of them as well." Atobe replied without missing a beat in his step. It was as if he was talking to her in passing.

"But I-"

Atobe watched his club carefully from the front row, not bothering to listen to Hitomi's protest as Oshitari passed by him.

"Ore-sama will pay for any of the expenses if it leads to a trip to the hospital." He told the tensai.

Oshitari nodded, and was careful in guiding Hitomi away from the courts by placing his hand at the small of her back. She moved forward quickly to avoid contact.

"God, I was so stupid I forgot he was there, Yuushi!" She hissed on their way to the nurse. Hitomi glanced back, seeing that the Ice King was still observing his courts.

"Keep walking forward, you can explain when we reach the nurse's."

"But..."

Atobe's eyes looked to where the two had disappeared to, unable to hear anymore of the conversation when they'd gotten farther away. He focused his attention on the courts in front of him again.

"Jirou, let's have that match, ah~n?"

* * *

><p>"This is just a touch more serious than I thought it'd be, little lady."<p>

Hitomi watched as the nurse's plump fingers held her right arm gingerly, examining that and the left.

"Is everything okay at home, Ito-chan?"

"Home?" Hitomi blinked with wide, surprised eyes, the blue in them gleamed with such a sparkle that she gave off the appearance of innocence.

The nurse coughed to cover up how uncomfortable she felt, "You've not gotten into any trouble, now have you?"

"Trouble..." Hitomi could only repeat. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed Yuushi staring at her, waiting to see what she would say. She straightened her back in realization and laughed, "Oh! Of course not, Haruno-sensei, you should see the other children involved; I was lucky."

"You were in a fight?" The nurse asked.

Hitomi shook her head sheepishly and laughed once more, "Not a fight, sensei, we were just playing a game and it turned out to be more than I expected it to be. Is there anything I can take for the pain?"

"Ah, yes, yes," The nurse nodded, turning around to exit, "I'll get some acetametaphine for you and an ice pack. Sit tight, little lady."

"Thank you, Haruno-sensei!" Hitomi smiled sweetly, and Oshitari politely moved out of the nurse's way, opening the curtain for the woman and closing it off from the rest of the room as soon as she walked out. Once the curtain closed Hitomi stopped smiling, and frowned at her friend when he spoke.

"A fight with children?" He asked, "I suppose it's true someone fought with you, I don't believe you fought back, though."

"A good lie is one that is closest to the truth." Hitomi shrugged, she held her hand out for her school blazer, and Oshitari's brow rose. She sighed, "Please?"

"Does Jirou know?"

Hitomi tried not to reply, seeing the look of disappointment on Oshitari's face annoyed her, but she finally gave in, "No. He fell asleep after I told him that I came from a match not too far off. I'm retired, remember? I don't play any matches anymore so I can focus on auditions."

"Rather than focusing on that you should be taking care of more important matters. Matters such as, perhaps, your father?" Oshitari asked as he ignored her outstretched hand, holding her wrist and moving her arm up. He wanted to see just how bad this injury was.

She winced, feeling the sharp pain in her arm, and swat his hand away, "It wasn't his fault, Yuushi. He was having a bad day and I offended him while he was drinking- he had no idea what he was doing."

"I'm assuming he had no idea what he was doing all those other times this happened." Oshitari crossed his arms and leaned against the table next to the bed.

"_He didn't! _...he didn't. This one wasn't so bad, okay? I just need to stay over at your place till he's sobered up for his next meeting." She fixed the folds of her skirt and began to play with the buttons of her shirt, trying to appear absent-minded so as not to look at Oshitari. He was always disappointed after this happened, she knew.

But she couldn't help herself, her father provided for her, albeit stingily, and he was so charming in front of other people. He was so charismatic and she believed that he could still be like that behind closed doors, though the marks on her body proved otherwise. He worked too hard, and had too much money to manage- that was what she blamed it on. He had to drink so as to not crack under the pressure and she was at home when he was drunk. He was always aggressive when he was drunk, she knew that well. But it wasn't his fault. He was aggressive only because he worked too hard at his job and he was good at pushing deals for more money. If only he didn't have to work or show off all his money to impress people, then he would be okay.

"No."

"He'll be oka- wait, Yuushi, _what_?"

* * *

><p>"Oi, Atobe, you just got here! Where ya goin'?" Gakuto asked.<p>

Atobe looked over his shoulder, "Oshitari has been gone far too long for ore-sama's liking. We'll be checking to make sure everything is alright, na, Kabaji?"

"Usu."

Jirou grinned and ran up to the two, "Ah! Then Hitomi-chan will be there, I can say sorry again!"

"I hope she's alright." Ootori said with concern. He knew how some people would get hurt because of Jirou's carelessness.

Shishido crossed his arms and scoffed, "Che, she'll be fine. It was just a fall from her seat. It's lame to think that she'd be injured from that after seeing her play tennis with those street kids."

"Shishido-san!" Ootori was quick to berate his senpai's crass attitude, "She could have fallen on it wrong, after all she looked very hurt afterwards."

"Yeah? Then let's go see how bad it is!" Gakuto grinned, pulling along Hiyoshi, "Atobe, wait up!"

Atobe should have predicted this, and he knew he should have when the regulars were suddenly at his side, "Taki, you're in charge while we're gone. Make sure everyone is doing well; exceed ore-sama's expectations!"

"Hai, buchou!" Taki turned to the non regulars and began doing the exercises, and Atobe was satisfied enough with that to begin heading to the nurse's office.

It wasn't very far from the tennis courts, or the gym, and when they'd opened the door they saw the nurse walk out.

"Ah! Atobe-kun, kids, what can I do for you?" She asked.

"We're here to see Hitomi-chan, she in there?" Gakuto asked.

"_He didn't!_" They all turned to glance at the back of the room after hearing Hitomi. Once it died down Haruno-sensei nodded.

"Ah, of course you are. Yes, yes, she's lying on one of the beds right now, next to the one you usually lie on, Jirou-kun. Oshitari-kun is being a gentleman by waiting with her. I'll be getting her medicine now, so just go ahead inside."

"Thank you, Haruno-san." Atobe nodded as he walked in. After passing the desk they walked further to the back of the long room, and Jirou happily took his place on his bed and laid down.

"-I just need to stay at your place till he's sobered up for his next meeting."

"No."

"Good. He'll be oka- wait, Yuushi, _what_?"

_'A gentleman, indeed.'_ Atobe thought.

Oshitari explained bluntly, he and Hitomi hadn't heard any of them enter, and the curtain had blocked their view, "This has happened far too many times; I won't allow you to come back to my place to heal just for you to run back there to get hurt again. Tell Sai." He saw how terrified she had been, had he not been known for shutting out his emotions he would have retracted his words immediately, because he could see tears beginning to form.

"Run back there?" She held them back stubbornly and clenched her jaw, "If I went to Sai he would keep me away from _there_ as long as possible. He said so himself."

_There_ was her home, and how dare he speak of it as if it were a hell!

"I know, I told him to." Oshitari said.

She glared, "What was the point of that?"

"I was testing to see if you can actually hear me. Apparently you can, you just choose not to listen."

The light snoring caught both student's attention, and there was a small thud followed by an even harder one.

"You idiot! Your sleeping gave us away!" Gakuto yelled at, what Hitomi and Oshitari assumed to be, Jirou.

Their assumptions were confirmed once Jirou groaned, "Ow..."

Oshitari quickly opened the curtain, and even he couldn't hide his surprise. Hitomi gasped and pulled her blazer from Oshitari's hands, shielding her bare arms from them all. She looked at her friends.

Oshitari's eyes met with that of Atobe's, who was glaring down at Oshitari with a look that commanded for him to explain. _All_ of them looked at Oshitari to explain, silent because they had no idea how to word their reactions. If they were correct, then it would mean that Hitomi was being-

She began to giggle, "What're you doing on the floor, Jirou? Did karma get back at you for me?"

"Oi! Don't change the subject!" Shishido snapped at her.

Atobe's mouth turned to a grim line, "By all means, don't stop the conversation on account of our presence."

Hitomi was taken aback by how angry Shishido was, even more so because of the venomous tone Atobe spoke with, and tried recovering with a confused laugh, "What are you talking about?"

"What you've literally just said not two seconds ago!" Shishido barked at them.

"Hitomi-senpai, if something is the matter you can tell us. We're your friends." Ootori tried using a calmer approach than his doubles partner.

"You're very sweet, Chotarou," Hitomi smiled appreciatively and laughed, "But honestly, I don't know what's gotten Shishido's panties in a bunch. Oshitari and I were just talking about how he and Sai have cut me out of street matches for my own good. I was getting hurt too much and I need to focus more on my acting roles, anyway."

"Really? Cause to me it sounded exactly like one of Chotarou's dad's cases of child abuse." Shishido pointed out with a rough grunt.

She shook her head, "My father works hard, it's a wonder I even see him at home. Right, Oshitari?"

Oshitari finally broke eye contact with Atobe, and both boys looked to Hitomi. She forced her smile at Oshitari.

"Tell them my father works hard."

The blue haired tensai couldn't believe how stubborn she was. They were clearly caught in the lie and she still refused to admit defeat.

Her fake smile tensed further more when he was silent, "_Tell them_."

"He works hard for his money."

"Thank you. Now, what were you saying about abuse?"

"Children, I'm back!" A faraway voice called.

Soon the nurse entered the room, and she smiled when she saw Hitomi smiling at her, "Now take this for the pain and apply this ice pack for fifteen minutes- no more and no less. Got it, little lady?"

Hitomi giggled at the nickname once more, and gratefully took the pills with water, "Hai!"

Haruno held the ice pack with a fond smile, "You should apply this to the injury, Ito-chan. And if you could take your blazer off I can see what more we can do for your arms."

"Uhm... With everyone here?" Hitomi asked, she was clearly uncomfortable at the prospect of revealing her bruises to her friends that hadn't seen.

The nurse's eyes lit up in realization, "Oh! Of course not, I'm sorry, boys, but it's time you head to class. Children these days, honestly, playing so rough that it's got a girl icing bruises."

"A little rough play makes us kids stronger, Haruno-sensei." Hitomi charmingly replied with a laugh. She was relieved when the nurse began shooing off the regulars.

"B-but wait-!" Gakuto was cut off by the closed door.

When Haruno had left Hitomi alone, the girl let out a tense sigh of relief. They knew. It was so obvious they knew but maybe, if she kept denying it, they would forget about it. They would forget about it just like she did, and they would think about it in their own homes, without anyone to ask, like she did.

Or so she hoped that would happen.

* * *

><p><strong>So I'm hoping these next few chapters will have gotten my timeline in order, which is why this chapter is a little bit extra long! It certainly is the big moving point, for Hitomi's life, anyway.<strong>


	19. 18: So We Beat On

Oshitari predicted that Shishido would behave irrationally, the tensai had predicted it so accurately that he even factored in how hurt his shoulder would be when Shishido grabbed his collar and shoved him against the wall.

"You better explain and quick."

"Shishido-san!" Ootori tried to pry his senpai away from each other, "Calm down, please! Everyone is looking now."

"Che, who cares who's looking? I could smack those lame ass glasses off your face, Oshitari." Shishido released Oshitari and walked off to the lunch table. Atobe hadn't spoken to Oshitari the whole day about the subject, the only way Oshitari knew that Atobe was even interested was by the way Atobe kept staring whenever Oshitari looked at his captain.

If looks could kill... Oshitari dismissed that thought before it could grow morbid.

"She isn't really being abused, right?" Jirou asked with a frown.

Hiyoshi rolled his eyes, "Hitomi-senpai would never admit it. She'd rather gekokujo whoever hurt her by herself."

"Not true," Gakuto pointed at Oshitari, "Yuushi obviously knows."

"If she's getting hurt you better tell us _now_." Shishido reluctantly took a seat, but he made sure he was sitting across from Oshitari.

"Why should I? It's none of my business and it's none of yours." Oshitari asked, "She hasn't told me anything about being abused and if she had it's not my place to be telling you such things."

_'I just happened to walk into it one day.' _He added silently.

"You're a liar. Kabaji, tell him he's a liar." Shishido said.

Kabaji hesitated, and after a long glance at Oshitari he finally nodded, "Usu."

"That's enough," Atobe commanded, "Asking Oshitari is pointless, it's obvious that he and Hitomi are denying it. Move on from the matter."

"No way! Shishido, Jirou and I have been friends with her way longer than Yuushi, I don't get why he would know this and not us! Why didn't she tell us?" Gakuto argued.

Oshitari fiddled with his glasses, "That's a question you'll have to ask her. As for me, I don't intend on being a part of this conversation any longer."

"Fine. I'll go find her myself." Shishido glared at Oshitari and stood up, pocketing his hands in his pants and stalking out of the cafeteria.

"Shishido-san!" Ootori quickly followed.

Gakuto jumped out of his seat as well, "Wait up a minute!" He turned to Oshitari, "Yuushi, I know you shut your heart out during tennis, but if she's hurting man, I don't know why you wouldn't tell anyone."

"It's not my place to tell." Oshitari repeated.

Hitomi, meanwhile, was just exiting out of the bathroom when she heard her name being called. She turned her head to the sound of the voice.

"Hitomi-chan!" Suzuki was out of breath, "You're not answering your phone!"

"I left it at home, Suzuki-chan." Hitomi laughed at her forgetfulness cheerily; Suzuki could see through the facade.

Suzuki nodded, "I came to tell you that Oshitari-kun texted me and told me that Shishido-kun, Ootori-kun, and Gakuto-kun are coming to find you and ask you about your father."

"...of course they would," Hitomi frowned. She looked around the halls, and as fate would have it she saw the three tennis players headed her way, "Oh no."

"Hitomi-senpai!" Ootori called and waved out.

"Oi! You! Explain!" Shishido commanded.

Hitomi took Suzuki by the wrist and pulled her into the bathroom. She heard a pounding on the door.

"Come out and explain yourself!" Shishido barked.

Gakuto quizzically glanced at his friend, "Ano... If she's being abused, is it wise to bang on the door like that?"

"...Crap."

Ootori took hold of the situation and knocked lightly on the door, gently pushing it open so his soft voice could be heard, "Hitomi-senpai, hi. It's just us. We wanted to talk to you about what happened this morning, because we're very concerned and we want to support you. Whether it's because of what senpai are accusing your father of, or the dangerous matches you participate in, we'd like to help."

"H-he's very sweet." Suzuki told Hitomi.

And he always made it harder for Hitomi to hold her emotions in, Hitomi thought.

The three boys heard nothing from their side of the door, and Shishido became cranky again.

"Oi! Don't be rude! You told that jerk of a tensai but you didn't tell us! That's why I'm angry!"

"Shishido-san!"

"Come on, Tomi-chan, can we at least help?"

"Boys, please move away from the door."

They turned around, seeing first the teacher that was standing there, then the students behind her.

"Atobe?" Gakuto was surprised to see the rest of the regulars present.

"Ito-chan, it's Kobayashi-sensei. I'm coming in." The teacher knocked before entering.

"You told on us?!" Gakuto accused Atobe.

Atobe crossed his arms, "Ah~n? You and Shishido are crass in these matters. It clashes with Hitomi's own personality. And child abuse is a federal crime, ore-sama doesn't care if she admits it or not. If you'd looked you could see the truth in Oshitari's eyes."

Within minutes Kobayashi-sensei had opened the door, and patiently waited. After a few seconds she cleared her throat, and Hitomi reluctantly walked out. She held her head up high and looked in the opposite direction of her friends, well at the moment she felt that they truly weren't on her side. Kobayashi-sensei led Hitomi to what everyone assumed was the principal's office. Suzuki seemed to be more horrified at the event than Hitomi.

She only knew that they were going to call Hitomi's father to discuss all this. And this would have never happened had Hitomi's so-called friends not interfered. Suzuki tried to punch the one who had acted the worst in all of this, but with how timid Suzuki usually was her hardest punch didn't even faze Shishido.

"B-baka!" She fumed, "The police are on their way!"

Shishido caught the second punch she threw, "Good! They'll arrest her dad!"

"No you idiot he's coming here now! She keeps saying he doesn't and they're gonna see if he's really dangerous!" Suzuki pulled her hand away and glared, "And he's loved by everyone he comes into contact with so there's no proof that he's aggressive. I asked for you to help her, not kill her!"

The girl ran away, to her classroom, and Jirou scratched the back of his head.

"I'll go ask Suzuki-chan what she means." He concluded.

Ootori agreed, "Shishido-san and I will go too."

"I'm not going."

"Shishido-san," Ootori pleaded, "You and Suzuki-chan are both Hitomi-senpai's friends. It would help more if you two actually got along, right?"

"The girl has hung around Hitomi enough to know that Hitomi is as stubborn as they get. If she doesn't want to involve us and she involves this dolt, and that lame chick, then I don't have anything to do with it." Shishido walked in the opposite direction.

Jirou frowned, and Gakuto looked torn between his sleepy friend and his grumpy friend; somewhere in between all of this Gakuto felt like he was trying to figure out which dwarf he would be from Snow White, and decided to push that miscellaneous thought to the back of his head and follow Jirou.

"Come on, Hiyoshi, we may as well ask some questions."

"Fine."

Oshitari turned to Atobe, "You never should have told."

"If you were as good a friend as she thought you were ore-sama wouldn't have needed to step in." Atobe gruffly replied before turning on his heel and walking away.

* * *

><p>She couldn't stop fiddling around with her hands: folding them over her lap, grasping them for a quick prayer, putting them at her sides or playing with her hair. They wouldn't stop moving!<p>

The bell for the end of class rang, and those involved in club activities were dismissed for the day to proceed to their club houses, wherever in the school that may be. Hitomi closed her eyes, squeezing them shut as she whispered a lone mantra to calm herself down.

"So we beat on," She whispered, "Boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past."

She repeated it again. And again. And again. It was all she could do to calm herself. The remake of the classic book was coming out in the near future, and Hitomi was delighted when Kamiko surprised her with a transcript of the film- Kamiko's friend in America had great connections. Since then Hitomi had been studying the film, the book, all of it as she imagined how the director would conduct the camera man to swivel from Jay Gatsby's face to the green light. Or would it be a cut scene? She immersed herself into this script because she connected with Jay Gatsby.

She wanted to live a life that went back to better than normal, that went back to a time of happiness and excluded her from loneliness.

She tried to go back.

"So we beat on-"

She kept pushing for this goal that eluded her every time she came closer to it.

"-boats against the current-"

She just wanted to live again.

"-borne back ceaselessly-"

She wanted to be loved like before.

"-into the past."

Her hands stopped shaking, and after taking in a deep breath she repeated the words one more time in her head, just to be sure she was calm. And with each word she slowly let out her breath, and opened her eyes with her head held high.

"Hitomi-chan, you'll be okay."

She was surprised to see Suzuki in front of her, behind the shy girl was Hiyoshi, Jirou and Ootori at her right and Gakuto and Oshitari at her left. Hitomi nodded.

"You were dismissed from class too?"

Suzuki smiled and nodded, trying her best not to look at Jirou, "Mm. Jirou-san-"

"-kun-" The cheery boy cut in momentarily.

"-kun," Suzuki corrected herself, "Asked Atobe-san if I could manage team functions and inventory. He agreed."

"That's great, Suzuki-chan." Hitomi didn't have the strength to even jump up and hug her best friend, no matter how much she wanted to, but her small smile was sincere enough for Suzuki to understand.

"You won't be so lonely at practices anymore, since I'll be there." Suzuki offered as a bright side.

At this Hitomi's smile grew a bit wider, "That would be great."

"Ya know, next time, just tell us when you need to sleep over. My parents won't mind... I think." Gakuto said.

"Mukahi, that's-"

"And even if Shishido-san doesn't act like it, Hitomi-senpai, he really cares about you. We're all just very worried." Ootori added.

"Really, it's not-"

"Just listen for once." Oshitari advised, interrupting her for the final time as Hitomi finally decided to let her friends finish.

"Ryou, come on." Gakuto jumped over to the boy with the cap, way far to Hitomi's left, and dragged Shishido to sit beside her.

Hitomi, like everyone else, patiently waited for Shishido, who looked reluctant to speak as he crossed his arms and leaned back into the bench.

He gave in after looking at Hitomi's hands folded in her lap, "Che, you're a lame-ass, you know that, right?"

"Shishido-san!"

"I was too lame not to tell." Hitomi managed to laugh, understanding her crass friend's hidden meaning of concern, "I'm sorry."

She turned to the rest of the team, "I really am. I never meant to keep something like this from you all, but I'll only admit to it on one condition."

"Yea? Great! What?" Jirou asked.

"You can't say anything to anyone." She pleaded, "I just want to finish this year, and I want to be able to finish it with all of you. The only way to do that is to keep this a secret. And if he knows other people know, or other people suspect, then it means more trouble. Please, please don't tell."

Jirou blinked, indecisive on whether or not he could agree to something like that, while Shishido made eye contact with Oshitari, then Ootori. Gakuto was the first to nod, followed by Hiyoshi, then Jirou, and once Ootori agreed Shishido had no hesitation. He sat up, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees.

"Before we agree," he said, looking through his hands and even through the ground- for he was thinking-, "...does he use his hands?"

Slowly, and unsurely, Hitomi nodded, "Just that, sometimes a few books and objects, but nothing too serious like a knife or a dangerous weapon."

"The minute it gets out of control I wanna be the first to know about it. One of us has to be the first to know about it, and I don't want it being just between you or this lame four eyed freak, got it? You tell us anything that happens."

"Thank you!" Hitomi lunged forward in relief and wrapped her arms around Shishido, who kept his smile to himself after seeing her wince.

"Watch yourself!"

After that impulsive move, Hitomi pulled back and nodded, smiling because she felt like a huge burden she'd been carrying had gotten so much lighter just with the support of her friends.

"S-sorry for the misunderstanding!" The principal's office door opened, and a sorry looking secretary quickly fled. Atobe and Kabaji, however, strode out at their own pace.

"Ah~n? Why aren't any of you ready for practice?" Atobe asked, "Ore-sama's team should always be punctual."

"Oh shut it, Atobe." Shishido snarled, "What's the deal with the principal?"

Atobe's brow raised. Shishido seemed grumpier than usual. Especially when, in the first few moments of this whole debacle, he was the one to agree with Atobe's decision to involve the police.

"They're not coming."

"And my father?" Hitomi asked, standing up out of confusion.

"Neither is he. Ore-sama only hopes that you can keep your promise, that way the police won't get involved."

Hitomi was almost joyful, in fact she was more than joyful. She couldn't stop the smile on her face from going down, but then she noticed what Atobe had said after, "...my promise?"

"To keep ore-sama and the team updated on these incidents. It's unbecoming to not follow through with them."

Atobe had heard all of that?! Hitomi turned to the rest of the group, and realized that they were just as bewildered at his knowledge as she. When she was about to reply she found herself staring at his back, as he'd already walked away.

"If none of you are ready in the next three minutes then ore-sama will assign you to the elliptical trainers for the next three hours, na, Kabaji?"

"Usu."

"Ah crap, gotta go!" Gakuto waved away. He sucked at ellipticals and he'd much rather play a practice match for exercise than stay on a stationary bike.

Jirou went along at the urging of Oshitari, because the blue haired tensai predicted that Jirou would have fallen asleep on the bench if they didn't leave any sooner.

"Ah, well if I'm going, then Suzuki-chan has to go to get familiar with managing the tennis club!" Jirou insisted, taking her by the wrist and bewildering her.

Hitomi laughed, and Ootori and Hiyoshi followed behind them with a polite and genuine smile.

Now Shishido was the only one left. He didn't bother getting up from his spot, and he didn't even bother to look at Hitomi. Instead, he looked out the window of the hallway, and leaned back.

"Don't think this means I like you, that'd be a lame way to confess."

"I guess it would." Hitomi agreed, chuckling at the fact that Shishido, despite the rough exterior, thought about romance.

He chuckled with her, "The thing is, I'm pretty sure I'm lame for not noticing after being your supposed friend for so long."

"Don't be, Ryou, I didn't want anyone to know." Hitomi earnestly looked at Shishido.

"I know you didn't. But that damned spoiled diva figured it out before we did, and that pisses me off. Friends protect each other, even Suzuki got that before me."

"Ryou, let's just say that, if I were Kamiko, I would have called you nii-chan a long time ago," she said, "And the fact that you were so close to me made me not want to tell you even more. Especially you. I didn't want anyone angry, and I thought you would be angry with me, of all people. Plus, if things got out of hand it would take more than Kabaji to pull you away from an incident."

"Damn straight. Just... Tell us next time, okay? I can't go around shoving Oshitari into walls every week." He stood up and pulled his backwards cap further down, and pocketed his hands.

Hitomi nodded and stood up with Shishido, "Did you really?"

"Hell yeah." The two began walking down the hall, towards the tennis court, "I threatened to punch him if he didn't tell me what was going on."

Hitomi felt more at ease like this, and happily went with the flow of the conversation, "He wouldn't have given in though."

"He didn't. Che, I never wanted to break glasses so bad in my life."

"Shishido!"

"What? It's true!"


	20. 19: A Smile For Every Occasion

**So I realize that this has stayed with Hitomi for quite a bit, but bear with me. I promise Kamiko, Lily and Emi will be coming shortly. Though the latter of the three is much harder to write for me, as I've found.**

* * *

><p>Shishido had walked Hitomi over to the theatre, and dropped her off there before he went to his own club. When he arrived, Atobe was commanding the soldiers, as per usual.<p>

"You're late."

"You're a prick."

Usually, Shishido was much more respectful to Atobe. At least in practices, he was. It seemed that whenever Hitomi was involved all respect for the King of Hyotei was thrown out the window.

"Ryou."

Well, that was odd. Even when the two bickered Atobe never once called Shishido... Well, _Shishido_. After earning Shishido's respect, the two had gotten to be good enough friends to know that as long as they were loyal they were on good terms. No names necessary. But after that authoritative tone, Shishido stopped in his tracks and looked back at his captain.

"Yeah?"

"You dropped her off at the theatre?"

"Yeah," Shishido nodded, he looked curious, "What's it to ya?"

"After all this trouble, it's only reasonable for ore-sama to ask."

"Sure, sure. I dropped her off, Atobe. She feels better after you called off the police and her dad." Shishido explained, he continued on his way to the courts.

Atobe smirked, "On the elliptical, Shishido."

"What? Atobe I-" he looked over to his captain, and after realizing that Atobe was serious he trudged back up the entrance stairs and went on his way to the gym, "Fine."

_'So we beat on. Boats against the current, b-borne ceaselessly into the past.'_ Atobe frowned when he remembered. She had even stuttered, as uncharacteristic as it was Hitomi had been so scared that she stuttered aloud.

She had never done so before. In public she knew how to handle herself, make herself seem as if she could help anyone and she would do it with a sense of authority and wisdom. Not to mention strength, Atobe had known that after years of being around her. The fact that she was able to keep this secret away from everyone while seeming to be perfect meant she would probably become one of the best actresses around. After all, she acted every single day around her peers, and even Atobe had been duped on more than one occasion. When he saw her as he went into the principal's office (honestly, she was so lost that she hadn't noticed him walking past), eyes shut tight and mumbling- stuttering -those words that comforted her, well he thought that that may have been one of the strongest attributes about her. She stood on her own, and helped herself. Then she helped others in order to maintain that façade.

After some thought, and after using his Insight, Atobe realized her acting was so good that even she began to believe it.

"Kabaji," Atobe turned to his best friend, his right hand man, "Get Suzuki for me."

"Usu."

Kabaji walked across the courts, and stood patiently as Jirou spoke to Suzuki. He was fired up talking about the match he had this morning with Atobe.

"I mean usually Atobe beats me- he always beats me! But this time even I felt scared playing against him, he was so serious... I guess that's why he's the captain! Right?"

"O-oh! Kabaji-kun, am I n-needed?" Suzuki asked when she noticed the boy's figure hovering over Jirou.

"Usu." Kabaji motioned with his head to Atobe, and the two walked over to the captain, who was observing the courts.

"Y-yes, Atobe-san?"

"The theatre production crew will be dismissed an hour before our practice ends."

"...and Hitomi-chan will be dismissed too." Suzuki tried to understand where this was going. When Atobe finally took his eyes off the court and looked at Suzuki she nodded, seeing everything he commanded in his eyes, "I'll- ano, I'll go get her."

"Kabaji could escort you if you like."

"N-no need, Atobe-san, thank you!"

An hour later, Suzuki stood outside the theatre, and saw the doors open.

"See you later, Ito-chan!" Hitomi's fellow friends waved.

Hitomi waved good bye to them, smiling politely at them and then curiously looking towards Suzuki.

"What happened to the tennis club?" She asked.

The two girls started on the path towards the courts, and Suzuki smiled broadly, an odd type of smile for the usually shy girl.

"Atobe-san asked me to get you once your club ended, since he knew that you walked over to the courts to wait for Oshitari-kun."

Hitomi rolled her eyes, "I'm sure he didn't ask. He told you and said that Kabaji could escort you if you wanted."

"...yes, that's how that happened." Suzuki admit, "B-but he meant well! He's actually a very level headed companion to have, since Shishido-san is usually angry and Gakuto-san oblivious, even Jirou-kun is sleeping most times. It seems to me that Atobe-san is the one who can help the most."

"I have Yuushi."

"Who, in all honestly, doesn't know the least bit how to help." Suzuki spoke wisely.

Hitomi knew better than to argue, because Suzuki was so smart that she was usually almost right.

"You should at least thank him for his concern, Hitomi-chan. With the way you speak of Atobe-san I never expected him to even lift a finger about your situation."

"I know," Hitomi sighed, "But... I can't help it."

Suzuki nodded, and finished Hitomi's silent thoughts, "Atobe-san just reminds you, I understand."

"Thank you." Hitomi whispered as the two went to the front row of bleachers.

Suzuki nodded with an understandingly shy smile, and proceeded to watch the courts with curiosity as she lagged behind her friend. Hitomi was suddenly surrounded by Gakuto and Jirou, even Hiyoshi felt the need to approach her. Suzuki smiled wider as she watched from afar.

"I should be the one thanking you, Hitomi-chan. I never would have gotten to know these new friends if not for you."

* * *

><p>Lily never called herself complex. She liked blunt, strict opinions- especially when the need arose. But to have to do it without an ounce of emotion wasn't exactly her idea of normal. She loved to smile. It didn't matter the occasion, because Lily grew up with her own philosophy: that there's a smile for just about any occasion. And so far, to Lily, there had not been one occasion to not smile.<p>

Even now, as Lily watched Kamiko worry with her fellow Seishun companions about their beloved captain painstakingly play through his match, Lily couldn't help but smile admirably.

"Wanna practice while they go on forever?" She felt a small nudge beside her.

Lily looked over to her left, "Aren't you worried about your buchou?"

"There's nothing I can do about it now," Ryoma shrugged, "It's just getting me riled up."

"If you're okay with missing out on the match, then sure." Lily nodded with a pitied smile.

The younger Echizen never went through a tournament where he sat back and watched, and seeing his friends get beaten, and watching his captain go through so much to play, made Echizen want to play even more.

He trudged up the steps of the bleachers to find an empty court, and Lily barely managed to catch his sentence when she followed, "It's just a tie break."

But it was so much more than that to him. And Lily knew that as soon as they'd started rallying 'lightly'.

He obviously hadn't let off enough steam by the time Momo came running to them.

"Echizen!" He called, "Oi, Echizen, buchou's tie break with Atobe-san is ridiculous! You need to see- whoa..."

"Eh? Looks like you'll have to show me that move some other time." Ryoma shrugged, taking off his cap momentarily to wipe the light sheen of sweat from his forehead.

Lily nodded in agreement, a knowing half-smirk on her face as she watched the younger boy exit the courts. Skid-marks from the fuzzed tennis balls streaked the Echizen's side of the court, curving in then out at different places. If Lily looked at it from the angle of her opponent they would look like upside down crescent moons, if Lily looked at it from her point of view, she would see smiles.

* * *

><p>When Lily returned to the courts she found a crowd other than Hyotei's fans had gathered. Uniforms from different schools and bystanders had found empty spots to occupy the match between the two extra players. Both were exceptional, but one clearly outmatched the other.<p>

"Lily-san." A familiar female had spoken beside her.

Lily smiled and laughed welcomingly, "Oh, hello, Hitomi-chan! Come to support your school's tennis team?"

"We support each other, I think it's only fair." Hitomi sounded much too polite for her own good; even she knew she was beginning to sound uptight, and with a heaving sigh gave up on formalities, "I heard you were doing well with Sai. The bastard gave me more trouble than I would've liked, but it doesn't sound that way at all when it comes to you."

"Oh," Lily turned away from the match to look at her somewhat friend, "I just give Sai a certain smile of mine- Kamiko likes to call it the Demon Smile. She said your Demonic Stare was something that Sai just got used to towards the end of your reign."

At that Hitomi gave one short laugh, "She likes to name things before you realize there's even a thing to name."

"I would call it a quirk, but she does it so much that it's just become a part of who she is, right?" Lily smiled and turned back to the match.

Hitomi hadn't responded. The referee had just announced Seishun's win, and rather than going to congratulate Kamiko's team, Lily looked over to Hitomi.

"He'll never acknowledge his own growth now..." Lily could faintly hear Hitomi mutter to herself.

"What was that, Hitomi-chan?"

Hitomi snapped out of her thoughts, and Lily could have sworn she saw the faint blush on Hitomi's cheeks, so Lily tried to find who Hitomi was gazing at specifically.

"Oh, nothing. Just my own thoughts." Hitomi chuckled, "Our youngest player lost against Seishun's, but really, his own skill is understated. I just feel bad for him, is all."

"But he played with his all, and the kid will just grow stronger out of it." Lily nodded with an encouraging smile.

Hitomi nodded back, mimicking Lily's smile almost perfectly. What Hitomi didn't know was that Lily knew exactly who Hitomi had been looking at. While most of Hyotei was acknowledging their player that had just lost, a certain captain had begun stalking off to shake hands and bid a good game to Seigaku. When Lily had followed the direction of Hitomi's stare she had been looking towards the mix of Hyotei and Seigaku. Towards the only Hyotei player on Seigaku's side until the rest had followed their faithful leader's footsteps and begun giving off well to do congratulations.

"Besides, with how the guy you'd been looking at beat Kunimitsu-kun I doubt there's any worry about his strength dwindling."

Lily's encouraging smile had bordered between amusing and knowingly, especially when Hitomi's faint blush had turned almost as red as Lily's violet-red hair.

"Just don't tell Kamiko, you smiling devil." Hitomi mumbled.

"I may be a smiling devil, but I would never be as sadistic as that. You're just lucky the little troublemaker is in a match right now. Against Otagaki, might I add."

Hitomi cringed at the mention of her last opponent. Though she had won, she hadn't exactly made it out unscathed. She decided to turn the subject elsewhere.

"So how do you and Seigaku's captain know each other so well?"

"Huh?" Lily asked, a confused smile showing on her face.

Hitomi blinked, at first blankly, then with confusion, "You're on a first name basis, aren't you?"

"Oh!" Lily began laughing, "I forget that the use of last names are common. I've been here for so long yet it's so hard to remember! Back in Germany I was never good with first or last names, so I'm just happy to remember _a_ name."

Hitomi nodded, returning Lily's friendly smile with a smile of her own. And, though at first she had been mimicking the redhead's actions, Hitomi's smile this time had been one with the utmost sincerity.

* * *

><p><strong>I've forgotten this for the past few chapters. My bad! LoL.<strong>

**Disclaimer: I do not own any characters/plot/etc., of the PoT manga/anime.**


	21. 20: A Debt to Pay

"I think it looks very nice on you, Chota-chan!" The third years of Hyotei heard Kamiko compliment her taller year mate. The two second years seemed to get along well, and Kamiko was currently trying to get Hiyoshi to warm up to her.

"How do you get involved with these people?" Shishido asked grumpily.

Hitomi laughed when Hiyoshi and Ootori looked bewildered at Kamiko, the girl had probably made a statement and spoke about it in her brash American way, "Mizuki Hajime of St. Rudolph looks into street matches to recruit people. Kamiko found him because they went to the same school, Sai found her when she showed up, and she came with Sai to ask me if she could stay." She added after a second, "I thought an American tennis player would shake up the others, and the fact that she was a girl threw them all off. The only reason she can keep up with guys tennis is because she has extreme talent and extreme training. Girls need one or the other to be able to compete with men, so my decision to let Kamiko play was easy."

"Which case are you?"

"Neither."

"You were at the top, weren't you?" Gakuto asked. Whenever someone was at the top it usually meant they were the best! At least, that's the way Hyotei had made it.

"I didn't deserve the title- Sai was always around to help," Hitomi admit to her friends, "Besides, the way I got to the top was mostly luck."

"Yeah? How come?" Jirou asked.

"Acting," Hitomi shrugged, "A sexist bastard doesn't take a little girl seriously, and after a little acting manipulation she's got him beat. That, and I was lucky enough to have Sai and his friends with me. Sai was really the head, it was just more intimidating to have me as the face of the empire he and I built."

"It was all luck..." Oshitari added.

Hitomi nodded, and smiled when Kamiko threw Hiyoshi off balance by tackling him into a hug (a thank you for when he agreed to let her call him Yoshi-chan), "I think I left that place in capable hands, anyway."

"Should be capable, seeing that she trained Seigaku and they beat us out this year." Shishido replied in a crude tone.

"Speaking of which, _where_ is that captain of ours?" Oshitari looked around.

Hitomi looked around as well, wondering silently why the boy with the biggest ego had just slipped out of the limelight.

"Who knows? Now that we're out of the tournament it's not like there's a point for the third years to play anymore." Shishido grumbled out with resentment.

Jirou yawned, as the captain's disappearance was enough to jolt him from his afternoon nap, "But Atobe won his match against Tezuka, that's a pretty big thing already right? He should rest some..."

"Oi! Don't fall asleep mid sentence!" Shishido barked out, Suzuki blinked with wide eyes as Jirou had fallen asleep on her lap.

"J-Jirou-kun!" She tried her best to hide her red face.

"Wha-...? Suzuki-chan why are you so red?"

"You fell asleep on her lap you idiot. Stop acting as if that's normal behavior!"

'_They really don't know the real reason..._' Hitomi was surprised when the others around her were so concerned about why Atobe suddenly seemed to disappear. She stood up, "Kamiko, I'm heading out now. I'll meet you at your final match tonight."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, you're still goin' to those things?" Shishido glared at Oshitari, and would have glared at Suzuki had Jirou not been blocking his view, "What the hell?!"

"I'm not participating, I'll just be observing. It's... personal."

"Hai~, Mi-chan! I'll see you there!" Kamiko happily smiled, and she frowned at the Hyotei team, "We would invite all of you, but this one is a personal match and it's not very fun this time around."

"And the other times are?!" Shishido couldn't believe this crazy girl from America!

"Mhm! That's why we play in the first place!"

Hitomi chuckled to herself as she walked away from the courts. She could imagine their faces now: Shishido's disgruntled with disbelief, Gakuto's eyes and mouth open in shock and a little bit of fear, Jirou's awe, Oshitari's poker face, Ootori's uncomfortable smile twitching with fear, and Hiyoshi's composed blinking at Kamiko as if she were crazy. Hell, with how upbeat Kamiko had made her statement Hitomi assumed that even Kabaji would be shocked.

As Hitomi strolled through the school grounds towards the exit she thought about how odd her current actions were. With all the uncivil banter and snarky tension between the two, she still managed to know where exactly the prideful Atobe heir would be. It was odd, she supposed, that she had never felt as close to her group of friends, including Atobe, as she did now than in the years before- the Hyotei captain especially. The building Hitomi was looking for wasn't even two blocks from the school grounds, and as such the walk had only taken her about ten minutes.

"Now how did I know that you would be at one of your own family gyms?" Hitomi asked from the entrance of the private gym.

Atobe didn't falter in his exercise, "H~n, ore-sama never pegged you as the stalker type."

"You can cut the crap, Keigo-kun. I'm an actress, remember? I can tell when someone's acting to cover up how mopey they are." If Atobe wasn't going to ask her how she got in, she wouldn't answer. It wasn't a pleasant story anyhow. She stood beside the weight lift bench, and waited for his reply.

"No one's moping." He replied, he barely even glanced at her.

Hitomi's brow rose, "You went up against Tezuka-kun, and even with his injury he managed to keep up with you till a tie break. And you're ditching almost all your responsibilities as tennis captain to exercise in a gym to strengthen muscles that help you in tennis? I would say you're moping. Productive moping, but moping nonetheless."

And that was the last straw. She knew just how to annoy Atobe enough to rile him up, but she underestimated just how angry he would be. After letting the lift bar crash loudly down against its resting area, his dark eyes honed in on her and narrowed in anger. As uncomfortable as she felt about his staring she didn't waver, or show him that she was uncomfortable with how close he was and with how he towered over her.

"I know a way that'll help you stop moping, and it'll help you get better too." When his already narrowed eyes dared to glare even further Hitomi quickly explained, "I'm just trying to repay you for your help."

His anger seemed to dissipate when she finished speaking, and this time it was Hitomi's turn to stare at him. He had to let her repay him, right? Hitomi wasn't dumb, she understood that he had no obligation to help her and as such was helping her for whatever reason the haughty captain saw fit. Maybe she could even figure out that reason... She bit her lip at that thought. Why would she even want to concern herself with Atobe even more than she already had? Wasn't this interaction enough? Wasn't it supposed to be overbearing and unnecessary?

"If it has anything to do with the little peasant, as it usually does, I'll meet you tonight at your little kingdom of a warehouse in five hours." He seceded, throwing his towel over his shoulder and walking out.

Hitomi was left by herself, and she turned around, not liking the fact that he had basically read her and told her what they were going to do despite the fact that it was _her_ idea.

She was so affected by his accuracy that she hadn't noticed how he had dropped his arrogant honorific.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: It's been a while, ne? I apologize for the lack of updates, I really have no excuse other than it's a bit busy and it's hard for me to stay on top of it! I do feel ashamed though, so here's to hoping updates become more often~!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any characters/plot/etc., of the PoT manga/anime.**


	22. 21: A King in the Queen's Palace

"Oh! King-chan, I didn't know Mi-chan invited you tonight!" Kamiko excitedly beamed at Hitomi, and Hitomi crossed her arms.

"I thought it would be best if Atobe came."

The gears in Kamiko's head were turning at a pace that Hitomi could tell might have been unsafe. There was a suspicious little slyness in the Echizen's behavior all of a sudden, "I don't mind, does King-chan mind being here?"

"Ore-sama has no qualms about being present during one of your matches, little peasant. Hopefully there's something interesting enough to catch my wonderful eye, ne?" Atobe smirked upon seeing Kamiko's reaction- a giggle and a reassuring nod before she skipped away to the match at hand.

Hitomi rolled her eyes, "Your behavior is about as insufferable as ever."

"Much like the presence of your problems."

His dig at her was enough to make Hitomi shut up, though she would have replied if Kamiko and Otagaki hadn't started fighting verbally rather than through tennis.

"Hey!" Hitomi's anger flared, and in a moment she was standing in front of Kamiko and looking up at Otagaki, "Step away from her, Otagaki."

Otagaki merely grinned, obviously not as intimidated by Hitomi as others were.

"Or what?" He asked, leaning down so his eyes were level with her glare. The amused grin he possessed caused Hitomi's eyes to narrow further.

"He seems like a fitting opponent. Ore-sama supposes he should have a go at this street match."

"What?"

Every head turned towards Atobe, and with all the attention on him Atobe smirked. Hitomi noted how it looked like he actually enjoyed the attention itself.

_'Knowing him, he probably actually does enjoy this!'_ She thought. She tried to voice out something rational, "You shouldn't-"

"Ore-sama can handle a match against a cowardly opponent."

"_Cowardly?_"

That alone was enough to piss off Otagaki.

"Tch, I'll take this arrogant friend of yours down free of charge to you, little miss queen bee." Otagaki moved to stand at the other side of the court, but was stopped when a hand came upon his shoulder.

"You've had your fun, Otagaki. Why don't you let a few of us back you up now?" The boy standing next to Otagaki towered over him, a sly smile on his face while dark eyes shone dangerously towards the three middle schoolers, pushing his thin-rimmed glasses up his nose. He moved his ruffled brown hair out of his left eye and held a hand out to Atobe.

"I'll be your opponent this time." He said, "And if you're anything like the little queen bee, then this should be a good match."

"But-" Hitomi was interrupted by Atobe; she hadn't meant to stop talking when he held his hand up for her to stop speaking, but for some odd reason she had listened to his actions.

Atobe smirked as he shook the hand held out to him, "Ahn~? She's not even number one in our rankings."

"Atobe!" Hitomi glared at Atobe this time.

The boy beside Otagaki chuckled, "Then I suppose you're the number one there. Well, this will be an interesting match indeed." They each walked to their respective ends of the court.

"Atobe, please, you can't be serious." Hitomi tried to reason.

Even Kamiko was a bit hesitant, "I was excited that Mi-chan and I had someone like you to be here, King-chan. But this opponent is leagues above Otagaki."

"And we are leagues above that obnoxious player as well." Atobe countered, "By that logic, ore-sama is already good enough to beat him."

Hitomi stood in front of Atobe, looking him straight in the eye, "He's Kenji's right hand man, Keigo. He was there when Kenji came that one day..."

"All the more reason ore-sama should have a chance to play." Atobe was flippant about the situation, it seemed. But Hitomi knew better than to fall for that facade he played. Atobe had remembered the faces of Kenji's team, and he wanted to play against them. He probably wanted to play against the boy in front of them more now that he knew this was Kenji's right hand man!

"His name is Marc." Kamiko informed when she realized that Atobe was serious about playing, "But anyway, King-chan, good luck.

When Kamiko's words became joyous the whole arena of people seemed to lift up in spirits. So much so that Kamiko found herself becoming excited and happy, though usually she would be downright anxious and uncharacteristically frightened for Atobe.

"Wow, King-chan, you're really gonna play!" Kamiko was excited to see how a game like this would play out. Oh if only Fuji were here to enjoy the chaos and reactions that would ensue. Actually... "Ah! Mi-chan, I have to call someone really quick but I'll be right back to watch King-chan play! Cheer for him!"

Kamiko waved and skipped out, and Hitomi watched as Kamiko's skipping stride was bubblier than usual.

_'I'll have to ask later,'_ She thought, _'For now... I need to focus on what's at hand.'_

"Be careful." They were the only words Hitomi could find that were appropriate to say. Anything other than that just seemed... Unnecessary.

Atobe, however, just thought of good lucks and well wishes as a way of telling someone that they can't rely on their own skill or strength.

"Ore-sama knows his own strengths and weaknesses and can accommodate as needed." He said flippantly as he inspected the racquet he played with. It was the same brand as his own, and he adjusted to the grip well enough.

A hand on his arm stopped Atobe from proceeding to the center of the baseline.

"Keigo," Hitomi looked up at him, eyes completely serious and, Atobe could barely catch it, worried, "Please be careful. You've seen how Kenji is. Their tennis isn't any better. They play dirty, and they like being ruthless about it."

If this had been any other time Atobe would have teased Hitomi. He would have said something along the lines of: _'Ahn~? So it seems ore-sama's charm has finally reached out to you?'_ Or even, _'Ore-sama didn't think you cared so much about his wellbeing, are you reverting back to your second year self?'_

Instead, Atobe could hear the brevity of the situation in her voice. Her tone sincere and she was obviously anxious that there was a possibility of him getting hurt. Despite the fact that he was in danger, he couldn't help but smile. The fact that she cared enough to sincerely worry about him showed just how much progress their friendship had made.

"There's nothing to worry about." He assured her, and Hitomi stepped back, eyes narrowed at the match that was about to start.

How could things have gotten this far? To the point where even Atobe had to step in? And where the hell was Lily, the new leader, during all of this?

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer: I do not own any charactersplot/etc., of the PoT manga/anime.**


	23. 22: Better Left Unsaid

Lily smiled gratefully at her newfound savior. She wasn't one to be saved usually, she was one to do the saving (or at the least help in some form or way). Seeing that bandaging her upper arm was not a good one man job, someone had stepped in and perfectly wrapped the bandages in place. The person had even angled her arm in such a way that minimal pain was felt, and the cold pack they'd handed her helped even more with the pain.

When she looked up to thank the person, Lily was a bit surprised though, her smile quickly forming into a small gape as Tezuka gazed down at her. She shifted on the bench when she noticed his subtle glance, questioning if he could sit. Her movement was a silent approval to his question, and so he sat.

"Ano- ah-..." Lily couldn't help but be a little speechless, and the thought of her being so lame made her smile in embarrassment, "Thank you for your help."

He nodded, and as the two heard the familiar bounces of tennis balls in the public park Lily noted how his eyes shifted to the side to glance at her. Another question being silently asked.

"Someone was hogging the public courts and they wouldn't let the younger kids practice," Lily explained when she understood, "I thought maybe I could convince him otherwise."

"Aah."

Fuji had told Lily that the Seigaku captain spoke few words. What he hadn't told her was that he spoke through actions, timed glances, and even small grunts of acknowledgment or tilts of the head. Overall, Lily made up most of the conversation, at least from an outsider's point of view.

However, like her evil genius childhood friend, she did love to push limits. "Syusuke-kun did tell me that you didn't talk much, Kunimitsu-kun."

An eyebrow rose curiously at her, and though most would have just seen the usual stoic face Lily could point out the small twitch at the corner of his mouth pull downwards, as if he were to frown.

Lily's smile grew, "I think you communicate efficiently, despite what Syusuke-kun may think."

She made no attempt at addressing the fact that she had used his given name, but Tezuka could see from her smile alone that she had chosen her words purposefully.

"Kunimitsu-kun, why are you here so late in the day? The sun set hours ago."

"This court is close to home." He replied stoically.

Lily nodded, "Oh, I see." She smiled again, "I don't suppose you approve of the tennis that Kami-chan and I play, do you?"

He shifted his gaze down towards her, 'No.'

"Well, it is a bit... extreme. But she enjoys it, and she helps other people enjoy it too." Lily said, understanding his silent replies with ease.

He looked out at the tennis courts in front of them.

"And... to be quite honest, I hope she helps me enjoy tennis more too." Lily admit, seeing how the Seishun captain's eyes looked out at the courts in admiration. Lily saw a range of emotions flicker through his eyes, 'No... not admiration, more like... he's itching to play.'

"Would you like to play a game?" She asked, standing up.

Lily could already see the answer in his eyes, but waited for when he stood up.

"Hai."

* * *

><p>"-that's why, Syu-chan, you and Lily-chan should come over and watch!" Kamiko's voice happily chirped from the speaker of Fuji's cellphone.<p>

"Syu-chan? Heh, since when did Kyu Echizen and Fuji-senpai get so close?" Kamiko could hear Momo snickering in the background with Kikumaru, and she was glad that they weren't in person because Fuji would have seen her blush.

The pink on her cheeks turned a deep shade of red when she heard Fuji chuckle, "Saa, I'm afraid I won't be able to make it this time. Perhaps you should take some photos to show me later, ne?"

"Ah~, hai! I'll even take some videos then! Ja ne, Syu-chan!"

The girl quickly hung up, and Fuji could hear the faint roar of an audience before the line had cut off.

"Hmm... maybe Syu-chan wants to ditch us after all, ne, Momo?"

"Probably, Kikumaru-senpai!"

"So desune? And what kind of senpai would I be to just leave my comrades when they have no money to pay for the food they just ate?"

"F-Fujiko, no!" Kikumaru exclaimed.

Momo sputtered out his drink, "Pff-F-Fuji-senpai!"

"Saa, I already paid for it, remember?" Fuji chuckled, "But I do wonder where Lily-chan could be. She's usually one to oversee the events that Kamiko participates in."

"Events?" Kikumaru asked, "What is Kami-chan involved in?"

"Ehh... it's not really anything, Kikumaru-senpai." Mom fidget around and nervously shoved another burger in his face, "Fuji-senpai has only heard of it, never seen it. Kami-chan plays a really high level of street tennis, is all."

"Street tennis? Ah! We should all play with her then!"

"It's a different type..."

"What is that supposed to mean, Momo? Ne, Fujiko, what's Momo mean?" Kikumaru asked.

Fuji could only smile and chuckle at his friend's obliviousness, "Momo is right when he says that I've never seen it. But when I do see it I'll be sure to tell you. I don't think many middle schoolers know anyway..."

"Mou, you two are mean! Keeping secrets from me. What else are you keeping from me?"

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer: I do not own any charactersplot/etc., of the PoT manga/anime.**

**Author's Note:**

**Hi all! I realize this has been sticking with Hitomi for a long time, I hope everyone's okay with that and that the switching of characters doesn't disrupt the flow of each perspective too much.**

**iris: yeah, I really should have left out a couple OC's, but I believe (at the time that I was writing them out) I had a way of tying them all in together to move the plot forward. I think I overestimated the amount of OC's I had, but then again I always do love a challenge! So I hope you continue to read and that you enjoy the story even though there's a lot of OC's. :) **


	24. 23: Troublesome Boys

"Fujiko-chan, do you know where Kami-chan is?"

Fuji shrugged, "She mentioned something about a meeting. I'm sure she'll tell Yuuta about it tonight."

He was talking about how Kamiko would force Yuuta to come home every time she wanted to visit because she "didn't want to run the risk of running into the Mizuki demon". Of course, since they met at the Fuji household, and since she somehow convinced Yuuta to stay the weekend or even just the night, the elder Fuji brother joined in on their conversations. That's when she started distinguishing which Fuji was which, by calling the tensai 'Syu-chan' and then Yuuta with a form of a brother honorific.

Kamiko had a rather secretive meeting at the moment, the latest of a few, one that only Yuuta, Momo and Kaidoh knew about, and tried their best to keep it away from anyone. It was everyone else's wrath, or Kamiko's. The boys chose not to anger Kamiko even more.

"Do you think buchou will be ok?" Momo asked after practice. The whole first string were going out to eat, but Tezuka had denied the invitation, saying that he had an appointment with the doctor.

Kaidoh hissed, "Fshuu... Of course he'll be okay, he's buchou, moron."

"Of course he's buchou, stupid snake!" Momo yelled back, "I'm just wondering..."

"Tezuka will be okay." Oishi stated.

Now, it was odd for the Mother of Seigaku to be so sure of something that was so... worrisome, but as vice-captain, Oishi understood that if there was doubt he would have to be the one to help the team through it.

And he was trying now.

"At least... I hope he will."

"Oishi~! Look! There's Kami-chan, nya!" Kikumaru pointed across the street, "And she looks pretty!"

They all looked to where the hyper-active acrobat directed, and, to their surprise, she did look pretty. Kamiko wasn't ugly, no, in fact she was gaining more and more of a secret fan club since she managed to talk (and somehow cluelessly flirt) with the boys there. But she did look prettier than usual; she had dressed up for something special, that much was obvious when they saw her in a dress and her hair was up in a half-up, half-down hairstyle. But the sad, thoughtful expression on her face could have told people she was attending a funeral.

"I wonder what she's-"

"Come here, Taka-san!" Kikumaru pulled his whole team back so no one would interfere, much to Inui's delight, as the data man furiously began to scribble into his notebook.

"There's a high probability that Kami-chan's secret meetings have actually been dates."

Fuji noticed the extra glint in Inui's glasses, and turned back to the restaurant. Inui may have been right, since a boy walked in and tapped Kamiko on the shoulder. She came out of her tranced state, and frowned when a large bouquet of flowers appeared from behind the boy. And, yet, for some reason, it only made Kamiko's frown even larger. Fuji didn't remember Kamiko talking to him or Yuuta about any recent dates she had accepted from boys that courted her. It was a shame that the boy's back was facing them, and that they couldn't get a clear view. Only the younger Echizen seemed to know.

"Heh, senpai-tachi, I wouldn't get involved with Kami-chan's boyfriend troubles if I were you." Ryoma stood up and dusted himself off of the street dust, and began to walk away.

"Boyfriend..." The last time Echizen had said that was when they had the unpleasant honor of meeting Kenji.

"Don't you walk away from me, Echizen! We're not done yet!"

Ryoma stopped walking, hearing the voice as well as everyone else on the street. But it was the wrong Echizen that had responded, since Kamiko refused to stop walking down the street.

"You thought that I wouldn't cause a scene on the streets? _Because we're in public?_ Well you're wrong!"

He grabbed the girl by the arm roughly, rough enough to make Kamiko wince and gasp out in pain.

"Kenji!" She winced, "Let go of me!"

He smirked, "Fine."

But letting go in Kenji's mind meant pushing her down. She fell with a loud thud, and even worse looking cringe as her legs and arms skid across the cement.

That was the last straw. First, chasing her out on the street, threatening her about making a scene, grabbing her, and then pushing her. Seigaku couldn't stand for this anymore.

"Get away from her!"

Fuji's already opened eyes widened at the voice he heard, and all of Seigaku looked across the street from them.

"Yuuta...?"

The older brother couldn't understand how Yuuta had gotten there, and Kamiko pushed past Kenji to stop Yuuta from getting closer to the boy. It seems the two hadn't seen Seigaku at all.

"_Niichan!_" She exclaimed, the fear overcame her shock, and it was clear to see, "What are you doing here?!"

"I followed you after you lied to me and I see you hanging out with **_this_** guy?! What the hell, Kami-chan?"

"Tell the brat to get away from here, Kami-_'chan'_, or else there'll be some unwanted injuries."

"_SAY THAT TO MY FACE, YOU-_"

"Niichan!" Kamiko pulled Yuuta back, pushing him further and further away from Kenji. She glared momentarily at Kenji's words, but realized that Yuuta was ready to fight.

"Just get away from here, Yuuta-nii, please!" Kamiko begged frantically.

"There's no way I'm-"

Kamiko shook her head and stood between the two.

"Fuji Yuuta, go home _now_."

Yuuta finally stood down, unsure of how to move forward since this was the first time Kamiko had ever called him by his full name.

"Please," She said softly, a worried frown accompanied her words, "We're just talking, I promise. If you got hurt because of me... Please leave."

Yuuta's fists clenched together tightly, and he finally understood why his older brother would go through the trouble of beating the opponents that beat him. It was what an older brother felt like he had to do. But Yuuta wouldn't back down, he knew he couldn't.

"If Seigaku finds out-"

"They _won't_, will they, niichan?"

Yuuta finally sighed in defeat, "If you don't call that cocky cousin of yours tonight you better call me."

Kamiko nodded gratefully, and waited for Yuuta to start walking back before Kenji pulled her into a car.

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer: I do not own any charactersplot/etc., of the PoT manga/anime.**


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